Sunscreen, Sun Exposure and Skin Cancer

Image Source: WebMD

Summer is here and many of us are spending a lot more time outside. For years we have heard about the harmful affects of being exposed to the UV rays of the sun. We’ve been told we must use sunscreen and limit our time in the sun during its hottest hours (10am-4pm) However, what about the importance of getting enough vitamin D, fresh air and pleasure from outdoor activities?

EWG

We’ve done a little research and wanted to share our findings with you. The Environmental Working Group website has a great article that I wanted to start with because not only do they share the best sunscreens, but also the safest sunscreens available. They also share non-mineral options, as well as sun safety tips, which includes what ingredients to avoid and which ones are safe.

EWG says that the BEST sunscreen is a hat and a shirt. Novel idea, eh? There are no harmful chemicals absorbed into the skin, unless of course you forgot to wash that new cotton shirt you bought! Both are safe and there is no question as to how effective they are.

They have quite a list of top sunscreens in their 0-2 safe range recommendations, but I only chose those with a rating of 1. The first three products all have a rating of 1, however, the last three do each have one product that has a 2 rating:

Loving Naturals Organic SPF 30 Sunscreen

Soleo Organics Sunscreen

think baby and think sport

UV Natural Baby Sunscreen SPF30+

Badger SPF 30 Sunscreen

Purple Prairie Botanicals

Another nice thing is EWG offers a search button to find the sunscreen you may be currently using or are interested in and want to check out how it rates before you buy it. Check it out here.

Sun Exposure and Skin Cancer

A recent study done by the EWG found that vitamin A and its derivatives, which are found in many sunscreens on the market, may actually be speeding up cancer. The other amazing thing is the FDA has known about this affect, yet, has done anything to warn or help consumers combat this problem.

But the most alarming disclosure in this year’s report is the finding that vitamin A and its derivatives, retinol and retinyl palmitate, may speed up the cancer that sunscreen is used to prevent.

~ Aol News Article based on recent study

Another reason that skin cancer could possibly be on the rise is tanning salons, as this yahoo article seems to indicate:

But those approaches only tackle the physical side of tanning without getting to the root problem that drives millions of Americans, young women in particular, to engage in a behavior they often know raises their risk of a deadly disease, Stein said. To fix the social pressures behind the rise in this largely preventable cancer, America might need to refine its idea of beauty.
“I’ve met people who said they couldn’t stop tanning. They wanted to stop, but couldn’t. They liked the way it felt and they felt pressure from their friends,” Stein said. “I think we really need to change that notion in this country that looking tan means looking healthy, because we know that tans are not healthy.”

Dr. Mercola states that sunscreens have been found to block our skin’s ability to absorb vitamin D, which in turn can cause severe vitamin D deficiency resulting in a myriad of health problems and even death. Approximately 1 million lives are taken every year due to the cancer and health problems vitamin D deficiency can cause.

Importance of Vitamin D

One of the natural ways to help prevent sunburn is to make sure you are getting enough vitamin D and antioxidants, which are found in many summer berries. Vitamin C and A are also important in our natural defense of overexposure to the sun. So eating healthy is a very important factor in the health and protection of our skin. Another reason to eat all those yummy fruits and veggies that are available this summer at Farmers Markets!

For light skinned people, we need at least 20 minutes in the sun three times per week to get adequate amounts of vitamin D into our bodies. Those with darker skin may need up to 10 times that amount to produce the same amount of vitamin D as we lighter skinned folks do. (source: Mercola)

Here’s to our health and fun in the sun this summer!

More Articles:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/07/01/four-out-of-five-sunscreens-may-be-hazardous-to-your-health.aspx

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/3/15/vitamin-d-in-your-skin.aspx