Frequently Asked Questions
Sunblocks and Sunscreens
I am frequently asked about sunblocks and sunscreens. There are many safety concerns regarding different sunblocks and sunscreens (see research below). I'm not saying not to use sunscreen or sunblock. This is a personal choice.
I personally believe that the sun is life giving in moderation. I enjoy the sun in moderation for 10 minutes, to get vitamin D. I stay in the shade or indoors during peak sun hours. I wear floppy hats (with SPF rating of 50) or use a sun umbrella. After much research, I have come to the conclusion that both non nano-particle titanium and zinc are safe sunblocks. A blend of
non-nano-particle titanium dioxide and Zinc oxide provided full
spectrum protection as well as 20% or more of non-nano-particle zinc
oxide. I only recommend non nano-particle titanium and zinc
oxide.
Antioxidant rich skin care, such as Rosa y Fruta, can help neutralize
free radical formation on the skin. For example, there is research that antioxidants, like Vit C and Vit E combined have appreciable photo-protection (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12789176). Pomegranate seed oil, when applied to the skin after UV exposure can actual stop tumor formation on the skin caused by UV rays. These ingredients can be found in generous amounts in the Rosa y Fruta collection.
HOW DIET CAN PROTECT US
Research shows
that consuming antioxidant like astaxanthin protects your skin from the inside out from UV light and sun burn.
CHOCOLATE! Time to celebrate : ) It turns out that chocolate can also reduce skin damage from sun exposure. A new study in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology finds that eating antioxidant-rich dark chocolate can increase your skin's natural UV protection. "The higher the percentage of cacao, the more antioxidants you're getting," says Joe Vinson, PhD, a chemistry professor at the University of Scranton who has led previous chocolate studies.
Here's an article that describes why consuming foods rich in lutein can natural protect you from the sun:
What You Eat Can Protect Your Skin from the Sun
By: Barbara Levine, R.D., Ph.D.
(ARA)
- By now you probably think you've heard all of the health reasons
there are for eating your vegetables. But, just in time for summer,
researchers from Harvard University have announced that lutein -- a
potent antioxidant found in such dark green, leafy vegetables as
spinach and kale -- may protect the skin from sun damage.
"Lutein
has been widely recognized for its eye health benefits for several
years. But, our data is the first of its kind to suggest that lutein
may have the potential to act as a preventative agent against
UVB-induced skin cancer," said Salvador Gonzalez, M.D., Ph.D., leader of the Harvard research team. "In addition, these data suggest that lutein protects the skin against damage caused by exposure to UVB light, further validating our position that lutein is a critical component to overall skin health."
_____
The Yuzurihara of
Japan have no known cases of skin cancer even though they spend many hours in direct sunlight. It is suggested that it has to do with their diet that produces high amount of skin protective hyaluronic acid in the body. They eat a large variety of vegetable and fresh fruits, fermented soy (like miso), fish, and special sticky root vegetables. I understand there are no meat markets. They also do not over eat and tax their digestive tracks and gets lots of fresh air and exercise.
RESEARCH
"The Dark Side of Chemical Sunscreens. Should You Be Concerned About Photosensitization" :
http://www.smartskincare.com/skinprotection/chemical-sunscreen-risks.html
Sun blocks linked to Cancer
19:00 18 April 01
www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns9999641
Gender-bending chemicals that mimic the effect of oestrogen are common in sunscreens, warns a team of Swiss researchers who have found that they trigger developmental abnormalities in rats.
"We need to do more tests to see how they might be affecting people," says Margaret Schlumpf from the Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Zurich, Switzerland.
Uterine growth
Schlumpf and her colleagues tested six common UV screening chemicals used in sunscreens, lipsticks and other cosmetics. All five UVB screens -benzophenone-3, homosalate, 4-methyl-benzylidene camphor (4-MBC), octyl-methoxycinnamate and octyl-dimethyl-PABA - behaved like oestrogen in lab tests, making cancer cells grow more rapidly.
Three caused developmental effects in animals. Only one chemical - a UVA protector called butyl-methoxydibenzoylmethane (B-MDM) - showed no activity.
One of the most common sunscreen chemicals, 4-MBC, had a particularly strong effect. When the team mixed it with olive oil and applied it to rat skin, it doubled the rate of uterine growth well before puberty. "That was scary, because we used concentrations that are in the range allowed in sunscreens," Schlumpf says.
Nobody knows if doses are high enough to create problems for people, says Schlumpf.
- Could Suncreen Increase Melanoma Risk?: CedicF. Garla, DrPH, FACE
ResearchonCancer;1987. EdwardD. Goam, MPH:
http://ajph.aphapublications.org/cgi/reprint/82/4/614
-The use of sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 8 inhibits more than 95% of vitamin D production in the skin.[56][57] Recent studies showed that, following the successful "Slip-Slop-Slap" health campaign encouraging Australians to cover up when exposed to sunlight to prevent skin cancer, an increased number of Australians and New Zealanders became vitamin D deficient.[58] Ironically, there are indications that vitamin D deficiency may lead to skin cancer.[59]
- 59: Grant WB (2002). "An estimate of premature cancer mortality in the U.S. due to inadequate doses of solar ultraviolet-B radiation". Cancer 94 (6): 1867–75. doi:10.1002/cncr.10427. PMID 11920550
- Sunscreen Enhancement of UV induced reactive oxygen species in the skin by Kerry M. Hanson, Enrico Gratton, Christopher J(Free Radical Biology and Medicine
Volume 41, Issue 8)
- Wikipedia sunscreen health concerns:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunscreen
- Wikipedia Sunscreen Controversy:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunscreen_controversy
Authors who claim that sunscreen use causes melanoma have speculated that this occurs by one of the following mechanisms:
* the absence of UVA filters combined with a longer exposure time of the sunscreen user[3][19][20][21]
less vitamin D generation in sunscreen users.[citation needed]
*By reducing the exposure of the skin to UVB radiation, sunscreen suppresses the skin's production of the natural photoprotectant, melanin,[22] and the lack of melanin leads to an increased risk of melanoma.[3]
*free radical generation by sunscreen chemicals that have penetrated into the skin.[23][24][25][26][27]
*pathogenic cytotoxicity and carcinogenicity of micronized titanium[28] or zinc oxide[citation needed] nanoparticles.
*Retinyl palmitate, a form of Vitamin A that is an ingredient in some sunscreens, may encourage tumor growth in animals [3]
Q. What about natural sunscreens like titanium dioxide?
A. Titanium Dioxide, Zinc Oxide, and natural PABA are much better alternatives to chemical sunscreens.
PABA can cause allergic reaction in some people.
Both non nano-particle titanium and zinc are safe. A blend of
non-nano-particle titanium dioxide and Zinc oxide provided full
spectrum protection as well as 20% or more of non-nano-particle zinc
oxide. I only recommend non nano-particle titanium and zinc
oxide.
"Sunscreen Photobiology Molecular, Cellular and Physiological Aspects": "Illumination of titanium dioxide suspensions with sunlight can degrade organic materials and purify drinking water, while illumination with short wave UV kills human cells. This work shows that the distinction between 'chemical' sunscreens and 'physical' sunscreens, attractive though it may be to those who market them, is not based on any significant difference. Both varieties have the potential to produce reactive species that can attack biological materials (human skin cells) when they are exposed to normal sunlight... What is established is that particles of titanium dioxide as large as 220 nm can enter human cells in culture, and so it seems entirely plausible that if titanium dioxide does pass through skin it could enter cells under the skin (carrying with it the absorbed UVA and UVB radiation and hydroxyl radicals)."
Non nano-particle titanium sits on the skin as a block, and does not enter the skin, so this is not a problem.
A 2011 Swiss study that likened titanium dioxide to asbestos was referring to its toxicity when inhaled, which is not a threat when it is in sunscreen creams.
ZINC OXIDE: Since cosmetic ingredients have little if any FDA regulations I always do research of an ingredient used outside the context of cosmetic formulations. Here is some of what OSHA (Occupation Safety & Health Administration U.S Department of Labor) reports on the saftey of zinc oxide:
Summary of toxicology
1. Effects on Animals: is also an experimental mutagen. Although topical administration of zinc oxide to rabbits, mice, and guinea pigs failed to cause either skin irritation or signs of systemic toxicity [ACGIH 1991, p. 1754]... Zinc oxide was mutagenic in in vitro test systems [NIOSH 1991].
(Yet other studies on zinc strongly suggest that is is not mutagenic.)
2. Effects on Humans: Repeated exposures to zinc oxide by skin contact have resulted in papular-pustular skin eruptions in the axilla, inner thigh, inner arm, scrotum and pubic areas [ACGIH 1991].
However zinc oxide has been used safely topically, even to soothe baby skin for decades.
Here's an article with more helpful information:
Date:01/07/2004
Author:Pat Thomas
A safe sun screen?
Sun Myths
The problem is that using sun creams on their own to prevent skin damage is like trying to lose weight by ordering a diet Coke with your Big Mac and fries. Because sun creams encourage a false sense of security, we stay out in the sun far longer than is smart or safe. Few of us apply sun creams as regularly or as thickly as manufacturers recommend. In real-world terms, this means that the sun protection factor (SPF, see below) listed on the bottle is always misleading.
Chemicals that provide sun protection are also potentially irritating to the skin, and irritated skin is more prone to sun damage. Emerging research also suggests that some of these chemicals are oestrogen mimics that persist in the environment and in the body. Potentially, this could lead to gender-bending effects in men and boys, and breast and ovarian cancer and reproductive abnormalities in women.
Sun Myths
Used properly, sun screens will prevent sunburn, but evidence of protection against most skin cancers is inconclusive. Sun screens may reduce the risk of squamous cell carcinoma, but their effect on the more serious basal cell carcinoma and the more deadly malignant melanoma is uncertain. Indeed, some studies have linked regular sun screen use to higher rates of melanoma among men and basal cell carcinoma among women.
In contrast, most of the body’s vitamin D supply – between 75 and 90 per cent – is generated by the skin’s exposure to UVB rays. Using a sun screen drastically lowers the cutaneous production of vitamin D. Combined with sedentary indoor lives, this raises the risk of vitamin-D deficiency disorders such as rickets, osteomalacia and osteoporosis. It may also increase the risk of certain cancers.
In the US the number of deaths from skin cancer is believed to be in the region of 10,000 per year. Premature deaths from cancers (breast, prostate and colon) associated with inadequate sun exposure are estimated at two to three times that figure.
Safe sun
The SPF number defines how long you can stay in the sun before getting burnt. If you normally turn pink after 20 minutes, an SPF 15 product will extend this period by 15 times (ie five hours). The SPF applies only to protection from UVB radiation, not the more harmful UVA radiation.
Sunburn is easily preventable by staying out of the sun between 11am and 2pm. It can also be prevented by wearing appropriate clothing. The average T-shirt has an SPF of seven, and 85 per cent of fabrics tested in an Australian study had and SPF of 20 or more.
About the Author: Pat Thomas is the author of several books on environment and health issues, including: Cleaning Yourself to Death: how safe is your home?, Living Dangerously: are everyday toxins making you sick? (both published by Newleaf) and Under the Weather: how weather and climate affect our health (Fusion Press)
Skin Deep also has an excellent research article about suncreens/blocks and some potential product recommendation and ones to stay away from:
http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/special/sunscreens/summary.php
