Sunscreen – just what should you look for in your sunscreen protection?

SUNSCREEN

The heady days of summer are in full swing again. As the temperatures hit their summer highs it is still important to get the kids outside. Its great fun and exercise for them to be splashing around in the pool, not only to keep cool but to blow off a little steam. The all important job of parents, babysitters and nannies, at this time of the year is to ensure that both the little and big kids get quality outside time without the burn of prolonged sun exposure.  A little bit of sun boosts our vitamin D and helps to keep our body in balance, too much can result in peeling and blistered skin, sidelining anyone for several days and increasing our risk of skin cancer later in life.  It is thought that fair skinned people can benefit from 10-15 minutes of direct sunlight, while dark skinned people can tolerate up to an hour in order to gain the most vitamin D producing benefit; remember any longer can be very detrimental to our health.  This can be a tricky thing to get right.  Often certain parts of our body get more exposure than others; be aware that your tummy is going to be much more sensitive than your face.  Spending a little time outside without protection is probably best done when most of your sensitive parts (tummy, back, thighs etc.) are covered up. For the rest of the time liberally slathering yourself with a high quality, non-toxic sunscreen is a great way to stay safe and avoid the burn!

To be effective sunscreen needs to protect us against both the UVA and UVB rays emitted from the sun. UVA rays penetrate the skin more deeply than UVB rays, and are commonly blamed for wrinkles and sagging, dry skin, and the leather appearance you see in people who tan regularly.  However, the UVB rays are the ones that actually cause cancer and are also the type that will cause you to burn. UVA rays exasperate the negative carcinogenic effects of UVB rays, and are beginning to be blamed for cancer in their own right.

Try to cover up with a protection factor of at least SPF 30. Remember that just because you are wearing sunscreen it doesn’t mean you won’t burn, reapply regularly and, as crazy as it sounds, make sure your sunscreen protects against BOTH UVA and UVB. Some products on the market today only cover against UVA rays. The sun screen without UVB protection will ensure you don’t burn, but can lure you into a false sense of security and allow you to stay longer in the harsh UVB rays. Our best advice when selecting any skin care product is to look for one without harsh, toxic chemicals. As always buyer beware – read those labels.

The best protection for your skin is protective clothing, a large brimmed hat and a good sun-screen that blocks both the rays from the sun, but doesn’t add harsh and toxic chemicals to your skin.  Our family all wear UV protective swimwear to help eliminate those harsh rays, and we have very carefully selected our sunscreen to ensure it has the right SPF but no toxicity. As sunscreen is a mix of chemical agents formulated to prevent the ultraviolet radiation from the sun reaching your skin you really want to make sure that even though you are protected you are not adding any nasty chemicals to your body. 

There are some great non-toxic options out there.  We found a great natural product made by Dr. Mercola, its free of chemical fragrances, parabans, and nanoparticles. I use this on my kids and myself and have found it to be very effective, even at the pool.

We also use the Burts Bees sunscreen a lot. I often choose this one to use this on the kids faces as it seems to be a little stickier than the Mercola brand. 

 Other great brands we have heard about or our friends swear by are:

Alba Botanica Organic Lavender Sunscreen SPF 30.

California Baby SPF 30+ sunscreen (we love all their products and use their haircare items almost exclusively).

To make it really easy – all these products are available online. Hopefully this list will give you some great options to have a happy, healthy, sun-filled summer.  If you have a product that you think should be on this list, we would love to hear from you, use the comment form at the bottom of the page.

Make an adjustment, Stay healthy ~ Be Happy! Call Dr. Paul or Dr. Susan at Fontana Chiropractic to schedule your next appointment. 303.674.1500 or email office@fontanachiro.com

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