Health + Wellness — sun damage

Check the label of your sunscreen or sunblock for both the active and inactive ingredients. It’s best if your sunscreen contains only the active ingredient zinc oxide (it may also contain titanium dioxide). But if your topical sunscreen/sunblock has any of the following toxic chemicals it could actually be doing more harm than good! Here’s a list of some of the sunscreen ingredients to avoid: Avobenzone (Parsol 1789, Eusolex 9020, Escalol 517) Oxybenzone (benzophenone-3, Eusolex 4360, Escalol 567) Dioxybenzone (benzophenone-8) Octocrylene Sulisobenzone (benzophenone-4) Phenylbenzimidazole sulfonic acid (ensulizole) Homosalate Cinoxate PABA (4-Aminobenzoic acid, para-aminobenzoic acid) Padimate O (OD-PABA, octyldimethyl PABA, Escalol...

The last blog post discussed many of the problems with topical sunscreens and sunblocks. This includes any sunscreens or sunblocks that may be in makeup. If your makeup or other skin products have an SPF (Sun Protection Factor), beware! Here’s an overview of the primary dangers of sunscreens: –Sunscreens block the production of Vitamin D –Sunscreens really don’t protect you from UVA rays very well –SPF ratings are extremely misleading. First of all, they only describe UVB protection, NOT UVA protection at all. But also SPF ratings are theoretical, produced in a lab where the amount of sunscreen used on...

The sun makes life on earth possible. Sunlight also has direct health benefits for humans, catalyzing our production of Vitamin D and even enhancing our mood. Plus, many enjoyable activities involve being in the sun; it’s fun to be outdoors. Yet unfortunately, there is a trade-off. Every second you’re in the sun damages your skin. This skin aging is cumulative and irreversible. It can also lead to serious long-term health consequences including skin cancer. Here’s a little bit more information about sunlight and how it affects us: Sunlight The sun emits Ultraviolet A (UVA) and Ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation (in...