The Sunscreen Scams!

It’s 2014 folks!  Elle here, and I’m going to tackle some useful information, because much like years past, we are not immune to the variety of scams and shams out there when it comes to poorly mislabeled products, beautifully packaged bottles that are filled with useless crap, and expert marketers who can and will LIE to you.  My experience with sunscreen goes way back.  When I was 16 years old, my Dad was diagnosed with Malignant Melanoma, which is a treatable type of skin cancer which requires surgery.  Over the years my Dad has had to have many minor surgeries to remove Malignant Melanoma (which can spread and be fatal if not treated).  Part of my Dad’s nose had to be cut off, in order to remove one of the skin cancers.  This began, for me, the era of every day sunscreen use.  Luckily, the skin cancers were detected early, and I got to keep my Dad AND learn some important lessons.  We need to protect our skin.  The years passed, and I tried ALL kinds of different sunscreens, from low SPF, high SPF, the spray stuff, the non oily, the oily, the exotic brands, the cheap brands… you name it, I tried it.  However, I started to notice a pattern.  None of them, actually seemed to work.  Sure some of them would prevent me from burning, or slow down the burn – but I had to frequently reapply, and it was always a matter of time before I just simply had to get out of the sun and sit in the shade because sunscreen seemed to be useless garbage that instead of protecting you, gave you a false sense of security, causing you to be more reckless and prolong your exposure to the sun.  It wasn’t until my early 20s that I figured out, that sunscreen ingredients matter, and MOST sunscreens have nothing but useless and even harmful ingredients.  So I’m here to give you the low down. 

It’s all about the Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide.  You know that white chalky stuff that you see on lifeguard’s noses?  That’s the stuff you want.  The whiter, the better.  The size of the molecules matter, and the quality of your sunscreen shows by how white it turns your skin (this is what I’ve observed anyway).  If your sunscreen does not contain either one of these ingredients, it’s useless.  It should be listed in the “Active” ingredient listing.  In addition, it’s difficult to find these quality sunscreens in US stores.  99% of the sunscreens you see being sold does not have one of these ingredients, which generally means you need to bank on getting the sunscreen that is made for Babies.  The sunscreen will be labeled “Baby” sunscreen.  Not “Kids”.  It’s gotta be for the Baby!!!  Why?  Because the FDA regulations on products designed for babies is far more stringent, so they gotta put the good stuff in there.  The stuff that works.  The stuff that isn’t going to be extremely harmful to your body like Oxybenzone – which is in over half of the sunscreens manufactured and being sold on the market.  The chemical oxybenzone penetrates the skin, gets into the bloodstream and acts like estrogen in the body. It can trigger allergic reactions, has been linked to endometriosis in older women and even lower birth weight.  The data on that is preliminary, but still… so far, not so good.  You don’t want to mess with the hormones.  

I started using Baby Sunscreen on all my kids (who are 8, 6, 6, and 3), my husband, and myself.  The stuff works.  Sunburns are a thing of the past, AND I can feel safer that my family is being protected not just from UVB rays (which cause sunburn), but also UVA rays (which penetrates the skin more deeply and has long been known to play a major part in skin aging and wrinkling, weakens the immune system, and contributes to and may even initiate the development of skin cancers).  Do we get a nice tan?  Actually no.  But that’s how I know the sunscreen is WORKING.  Tan does not equal healthy.  Kind of the opposite actually!  

Naturally, exploration involves lots of SUN!!!  Who doesn’t love the Sun?!  I love it, and I know you do too, but let’s protect our precious skin while we’re at play.  Because it’s no fun to pay the consequences of fun later down the road. 

More stuff to research for sunscreen safety:  Retinyl palmitate