One redhead’s opinion on sunscreen
Oh the deliciously long days, the watermelon dripping from our chins,
the glee of the water park… There is so much to love about summer. What with
hats and sunscreen application, for many of us it can take as much time to
leave the house as it did in the winter! As a child, my mother made us swim
with hats and t-shirts on, otherwise we turned fire hydrant red. It hasn’t
changed, alas, though I’ve learned a lot more about sun protection. Everyone
needs to think about it, even if you never burn.
Here are the basics:
Sunscreen is not always a safe substance to use. It can give people a
false sense of security, cause them to stay outside longer, and the chemicals
in it (even the pricey stuff) can have quite harmful effects on the body. There
are many truly concerning ingredients, but I’ll flag two of the nastiest which
have the most research to date, oxybenzone (also called benzophenone) and
retinyl palmitate (a kind of Vit A). Oxybenzone is in most North American
sunscreens and has known hormone disruptive qualities and is not recommended
for children/babies. The retinyl speeds up the development of skin tumors and
lesions when worn during daylight (or ingested). Both are very common in skin
creams because they are cheap and the retinyl helps with anti-aging. It’s in my
Aloe post-sun cream. I just make sure to wash it off in the morning before
going out. If you want to know more about the nasties in your sunscreen or
other body products, check out a comprehensive site rating them and explaining
every ingredient: http://breakingnews.ewg.org/2012sunscreen/sunscreens-exposed/
or http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/.
Seriously,
So what’s a gal/guy to do???
Never fear! I'm not saying don’t wear sunscreen. As always, the best
protection is to stay indoors mid-day, and/or wear a hat/protective
clothing/use a parasol/umbrella. Even if you never burn (from UVB rays), you
are being exposed to UVA rays (even on cloudy/cold days) and those are the ones
that gift you with the big M melanomas. So here is my sunscreen advice (based
on WAY too much reading and experience):
1.
Look for mineral based sunscreens,
ideally made of Zinc Oxide. It’s not a perfect substance, but compared to the
other options it is very safe. Here is an article about Zinc http://www.badgerbalm.com/s-33-zinc-oxide-and-nanoparticles.aspx
. Sunscreens without zinc or titanium contain an
average of 4 times more high hazard
ingredients known or strongly suspected to cause cancer or birth defects, to
disrupt human reproduction or damage the growing brain of a child. They also
contain more toxins on average in every major category of health harm
considered: cancer (10% more), birth defects and reproductive harm (40% more),
neurotoxins (20% more), endocrine system disruptors (70% more), and chemicals
that can damage the immune system (70% more) (EWG 2007).
2 1. I use Heiko and Badger products which can be found in health food stores and at sometimes at Loblaws. Badger seems to be the
safest of all the safe ones which can be found locally since I think
Heiko has some artificial fragrance. Badger is cheaper than Heiko too.
2. No, they are not as easy to apply,
you can see them more on your skin (because they are a block, not a cream), and
yes, they are more expensive. But they smell like nothing, or like heaven (and naturally so),
don’t give you the cancer you’re trying to prevent, and help you feel safe.
3. Avoid spray sunscreens of any kind
(inhalation=very bad). Wiggly kids be damned, hold them down!
4. If you just can’t do the white stuff
(though after rubbing, there is really very little left), Green Beaver makes one that goes on clear (bit greasy). Sunscreens with Avobenzone are the
next best option as a full-spectrum sunscreen ingredient (assuming it is not
combined with all the other nasties).
So if you want to talk more about any of this, feel free to contact me.
I can chat at length about nano particles, free-radicals, new European
innovations and all kinds of other stuff I didn't mention here! Now THAT’S a
PARTY!
More reading?
Health Canada site: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/dhp-mps/prodnatur/applications/licen-prod/monograph/mono_sunprotect_ecransolaire-eng.php
Chemicals to avoid: http://chemicaloftheday.squarespace.com/sunscreens/2009/6/17/chemicals-to-avoid-in-sunblock.html
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please be respectful when leaving comments. You know what to do :)