| After having experienced melanomas twice in our | | | | most sunscreens either have no UVA protection, or |
| family that both proved fatal after long years of | | | | very little. |
| treatments and belief that the war on cancer was | | | | Sunscreens and Melanoma? |
| being won, I decided I needed to be more clued up | | | | Basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma |
| about the use of sunscreens. Ever since the children | | | | seem to be undisputed skin cancers aligned with sun |
| were very small, we have religiously applied | | | | damage. Melanoma, as a potentially fatal skin cancer, |
| sunscreen whenever out in the wonderful sun. This | | | | is not yet indisputably caused by sun damage. |
| has now become almost a daily task alongside | | | | However, sun damage starts a process that can lead |
| brushing ones teeth. From my teenage years, when | | | | to melanomas. |
| we definitely didn't apply anything to STOP the | | | | So, sunscreens can protect you from basal and |
| tanning process, to needing to protect my children | | | | squamous cell carcinomas, but only indirectly from |
| from the sun's harmful rays, I have dealt with quite a | | | | melanomas. Bottom line, regardless, is it's optimal not |
| mind shift. | | | | to get burnt! |
| However, now the question seems to be whether or | | | | Chemical vs Natural sunscreens? |
| not the sunscreens out there are actually more | | | | So then I get to the chemical list of sunscreens and |
| harmful than good? How's that for a mind shift? | | | | find many, or most of them, are said to be toxic, |
| Chemicals in sunscreens are anything from | | | | with some even potentially carcinogenic, with heaps |
| carcinogenic to gender bending to endocrine | | | | of repercussions to ones natural health or immune |
| disruptors, never mind plain old skin irritants! How can | | | | system. The mineral, or natural, alternatives are the |
| children under 5, with their tender skin, deal with the | | | | sunscreens with zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide |
| toxicities of some of these sunscreen chemicals? | | | | and they physically block both UVA and UVB rays |
| The sunscreen debate has raged for years in every | | | | very effectively. |
| direction, with scientific evidence being presented at | | | | Zinc oxide has been used for many decades in |
| every turn that invariably has some flaw for the | | | | healing ointments and one of the best known |
| opposing argument to trash as insufficient, incorrect | | | | applications is for babies bottom nappy rashes. Zinc |
| or false. It leaves us bombarded with information | | | | itself is very healing. Titanium on the other hand has |
| with no easy path to a clear-cut decision. | | | | many unhealthy associations. |
| These are my dilemmas: | | | | What SPF level is best? |
| Is the sun good or bad for you? | | | | Paying for SPF levels greater than 30 seems a bit of |
| I know too much will cause damage to the skin. | | | | a waste, as SPF 30 provides 97% protection from |
| However, UVB rays actually enable our skin to | | | | UVB rays. Anything higher is really marginally small, |
| produce Vitamin D, which in turn repairs the damaged | | | | but the price differences seem to be quite radical! |
| DNA and thereby prevents development of | | | | Most of the high level SPF's are obtained using |
| cancerous cells. So, by using a good SPF factor (UVB | | | | chemical sunscreens in combination with mineral |
| protection) sunscreen, we actually prevent our | | | | sunscreens. However, they still require that you |
| bodies' natural self-healing capabilities. | | | | reapply frequently. |
| We need Vitamin D. This cannot be stressed enough. | | | | Sunscreen added ingredients? |
| The best source is from the sun, and this is of | | | | There seems to be a long list of ingredients and I'm |
| course FREE! | | | | never sure any of them are actually adding any |
| The trick is to get the balance right. | | | | benefit to the sunscreen. If not adding benefit, they |
| UVA vs UVB? | | | | must surely detract from the overall effect of the |
| UVA light rays are longer than UVB and so cause a | | | | sunscreen, or dilute its capability? |
| deeper level of skin damage, skin cancer and the | | | | Antioxidants, flavonoids, amino acids and such, are |
| aging wrinkles. To produce Vitamin D you need UVB | | | | great to help the skin repair DNA damage. Basically, |
| light for just 10-20 minutes between 10am -2pm | | | | anything that will boost the body's own fight against |
| when these rays are at their peak, or most direct, | | | | free radicals, are worth looking out for as additives in |
| unprotected! This of course directly contradicts what | | | | a sunscreen. It's great to find a sunscreen where the |
| most Cancer organizations and official health bodies | | | | labeling explains them all openly, but that is quite rare. |
| tell us. Besides this, the UVA rays actually deplete the | | | | Conclusions. |
| Vitamin D created! | | | | 1. Choose a sunscreen with both UVA and UVB |
| UVA rays cause damage all day, even when it is | | | | protection. UVA needs to be as high as possible, with |
| cloudy. UVB only really get to you when they are | | | | an SPF of 30. Physical, or mineral, sunscreens are the |
| direct, hence the 10am - 2pm rule, although this | | | | best choice here. |
| obviously changes with latitudes. | | | | 2. If out in the sun all day long, wear sunscreen all |
| Blocking UVB alone, seems to be the worst possible | | | | day and reapply regularly. |
| option as this allows the damaging UVA rays through, | | | | 3. Choose a sunscreen with added ingredients that |
| without the UVB rays that help the vitamin D | | | | benefit the skin or provide free radical scavenging |
| production that heals you. Bit of a vicious cycle here | | | | capabilities |
| don't you think? Also, you're going to stay out in the | | | | 4. Otherwise, wear sunscreen all day on the exposed |
| sun longer than you would with no protection, | | | | parts like face, neck, ears, legs and forearms for |
| because you aren't getting burnt. So the UVA rays | | | | UVA damage protection. But try and get some free |
| get more time to do their damage! | | | | Vitamin D through sun exposure midday-ish for just |
| So UVA protection is actually the real one we need | | | | 15 - 20 minutes, without getting sun burnt of course. |
| protection from, more so than UVB it seems, and | | | | |