Think back. 1997. There was a spoken song called "Wear Sunscreen." Erroneously thought to be a commencement speech, it appeared in the Chicago Tribune. If you haven't heard it or don't remember it, it's worth a listen right here or click the video above. There's a lot of good advice. Wearing sunscreen is one of them, but today it's not so simple. We have sunscreen with different ingredients, a crazy range of SPFs, versions for children, faces, and sports, some are ultimate, quick dry and Australian or sticks, sprays and lotions.
The sun can wreck havoc. Leave your Hard Tail black T-back yoga top on your clothes line for a couple of days in the sun and it will bleach it to a tie-dyed grey tone. Just look at the effects on a delivery truck driver getting pickled through his window by ultraviolet A (UVA) rays. The sun is a great disinfectant and things exposed to light become clear(er). Called "transparency" in the Obama admin. But, I digress.
Ayurvedic practitioner, John Doulliard, via Elephant Journal reported on some new studies, the pros/cons of sunscreen and some alternative ways to protect your skin. He offers that "According to a new report released by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), there is surprisingly little proof that sunscreens prevent most skin cancers and according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, "Sunscreens should not be the first choice for skin cancer prevention and should not be used as the sole agent for protection against the sun."
Regular sunscreen use lowers the risk of squamous-cell carcinoma, but not other types of skin cancer. Squamous-cell carcinoma accounts for only 16% of all skin cancers. The biggie is basal-cell carcinoma (80%). Malignant melanoma is 4% of all skin cancers. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) concluded that "sunscreen use has no demonstrated influence on basal-cell carcinoma". Conversely, if sunscreen use gives you permission to stay out longer in the sun, it can actually increase your risks.
Like pink, rotary princess phones, I remember when lifeguards smeared white paste on their noses, called zinc oxide. (I also remember generously smearing on the baby oil or Bain de Soliel for the "St. Tropez Tan"!) Generally considered safe, zinc oxide has been reformulated to avoid the "unsightly white film" into microscopic particles, called nano particles. Nice, but current reporting is that nano-particles "may" cause a health risk. . Google it or read up here: Also, sunscreen can also lower your absorption of Vitamin D from the sun..
If you're going to use sunscreen, use a lot. Slather and slop it on. The recommendation is 1 oz (a shot glass) or 1 tsp for the face, 20 minutes before sun exposure and reapplied every 2 hours. For a day in the sun and you'll use half your 8 oz bottle. Think your "foundation" with sunscreen is helping? Well, it's helping Johnson & Johnson.
You need to use seven times the normally used amount of foundation to meet the (SPF) on the label.
I'm not dissing sunscreen. Just don't rely on it to do what it won't do. Want to avoid sun damage? Don't burn, avoid the sun between 10 and 4, cover up, seek shade, wear a hat. And, wear sunscreen.
