With school out, and the temperature starting to rise, it’s time to think about
sunscreen and protecting yourself from a burn! Why is this important? We slather sunscreen over a large surface area of our bodies, and some of those ingredients are going to get absorbed into the body. Think of your skin as a large mouth–DON’T PUT ANYTHING ON IT, YOU WOULDN’T WANT TO EAT! Obviously this is a little over the top, but it’s a good reminder to look at labels, and if you can’t pronounce an ingredient or don’t recognize it, what do you think your body’s immune system’s reaction is going to be?
First a little bit about sunscreens: Most sunscreens absorb or reflect Ultraviolet rays (UV) from the sun. UVB rays are what can cause a sunburn, while UVA rays are related to skin damage (early skin aging). Here’s some hints for picking a suncreen:
- Look for a product with BROAD SPECTRUM for protection from both UVA and UVB.
- Choose a mineral based product (Zinc oxide or Titanium Oxide): These provide broad spectrum protection and are the least absorbed in the skin. A large study in 2020 showed systemic (in the bloodstream) absorption of many of the chemical sunscreens (oxybenzone, avobenzone, homosalate, etc). The crazy thing is all the FDA did was ‘request more data’ to see if this is actually harmful–‘advise consumers to continue using these sunscreens’! Since when should the burden be to prove it doesn’t harm vs it is safe?!? Names to avoid: Oxybenzone, Octinoxate, and Avobenzone
- When to apply? Ideally 15 minutes before swimming or other activity,
- however, when you are looking to make some Vitamin D (made in the skin from cholesterol interacting with the UV rays), we typically make about 1000iu vitamin D per minute of exposure for about 10 minutes. If this is your vitamin D source, you could be outside in the sun for ~ 10 minutes (or less if you have pale or sensitive skin), then put your sunscreen/hat/sun protection on. Obviously, avoid getting your skin burnt–If you are paler or more sun sensitive, take oral vitamin D as our previous newsletter stated. Email me if you’d like access to any previous newsletters.
- How do you know if you have a good brand? Luckily the Environmental Working Group (EWG) looks at the ingredients and gives consumers an easy way to find less harmful sunscreens! Find it here!
- Personally we like these options from BeautyCounter, but check out the guide above to look at what you’ve been using!
