Can Sunscreen actually CAUSE Cancer?
These past few weeks as the holidays have been fast approaching, I have been suggesting to my clients to add Zinc based Sunblock as stocking stuffer items to teens and those who are more prone NOT to wear Sunscreen at all. That is when one of my clients approached me with a question about the efficacy of SPF vs. Zinc Based Sun products.
At a time when I was a young Mom in Arizona, I used to take my kids to local kiddie water parks and places where they would be playing out in the sun. I never could understand why the Moms in the "mommie's group" I belonged to would take the time to slather sunscreen on their kids, just to watch it wash off in the water the kids played in. In the end, these little precious skinned cherubs would be pink cheeked and red shouldered to match. So I started to read the labels and started to learn what we all were was putting on the kid's skins.
This is why my clients, as a last step to their skincare treatments, receive a generous application of Zinc Sunblock....
So what 's in Sunscreen Anyhow?
Sunscreens are products combining several ingredients that help prevent the sun's ultraviolet (UV) radiation from reaching the skin. Two types of ultraviolet radiation, UVA and UVB, damage the skin, age it prematurely, and increase your risk of skin cancer. Sunscreens, however, contains a number of chemical ingredients that may actually be harmful to your health. The overall reason I recommend Zinc as a "sunscreen" is because of the chemicals contained in conventional sunscreen and how, in the end, they can affect the skin in a not-so- good way. Most sunscreens sold today are toxic soups of chemical concoctions. I would like to outline the 2 most common chemicals in sunscreens and their health effects. Upon seeing the plethora of negative health consequences associated with sunscreen, you’ll see why I only recommend Zinc based varieties.
1.) Avobenzone
Avobenzone is a chemical ingredient commercial sunscreens and is used primarily due to its effectiveness in absorbing a wide range of ultraviolet (UV) rays, specifically the type that is known to cause sunburn. (UVB) You see, Avobenzone degrades in the sun, resulting in the release of free radicals that may actually increase the risk for cancer. Free radicals are also known to accelerate skin aging and research has also tied it to a slew of allergies. (2009 research by Earth Working Group and as published by Drs. Karlsson I, Hillerström L, Stenfeldt AL, Mårtensson J, Börje A. Photodegradation of dibenzoylmethanes: potential cause of photocontact allergy to sunscreens. Chemical Research in Toxicology. November 2009. doi: 10.1021/tx900284e.)
2.) OxyBenzone
Sadly, Oxybenzone and Avobenzone function in similar ways. While both may absorb the sun’s rays they don’t penetrate the skin surface!
According to 2012 research by the Environmental Working Group, OxyBenzone is actually more toxic than Avobenzone. And, as published by Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology in September 2012, OxyBenzone chemical may actually be behind the increased rates of melanoma, the skin cancer that most people are attempting to avoid by using sunscreen!
Oxybenzone has been found to lower the birth weight of girls whose mothers’ bodies had high exposure levels. It’s also linked to allergies, hormone disruption, and cell damage.
Other sources will also list such chemicals as Retinyl Palmitate and Parabens which BOTH have been linked to low birth weights, hormone disruption and such things as cellular changes, and organ toxicity. Parabens have been linked to issues associated with infertility, abnormal development of the testes, obesity, asthma, allergies, benign tumors of the uterus or digestive tract, and breast cancer. So...for all of my Vegan friends, it doesnt matter that you are buying a product marked "Vegan" or not! Please READ THE LABEL!
Are you Ready to Make a Change?
After really getting involved in my own children's skin care and entertaining the thought of private labeling my own sunscreen, I often want to know why anyone who knows of the health risks posed by the above chemicals ever use sun-screen products that contain them? They pose incredible health risks, possibly contributing to the very disease they’re supposed to protect against. The only sane way to protect yourself from the sun’s harmful effects is by using a sunscreen that’s made from natural ingredients, beginning with Zinc Oxide or Titanium Dioxide based materials as well as being covered or in places like Arizona...staying indoors at the times when the sun is at it's peak! I now know why Scarlett Ohara took a nap mid-afternoon....
Zinc Oxide is sometimes referred to as the only safe sun protection available in a tube. It protects from the full spectrum of UVA and UVB rays, incredibly effectively, all by itself, making it truly the best natural sunscreen ingredient available. It is a sunblock, and sits on the surface of your skin forming a barrier between you and the rays of the sun.
I will say some zinc oxide sunblocks are difficult to rub in. with some your skin ends up looking a little ghostly white or the "J-Lo glow" ensues. To those who are used to sprays and blocks that easy to rub in and disappear, it can be a tricky transition. However, I’d rather take slightly pasty looking clients ( and family members) than tempt fate and skin cancer in the name of vanity.
Some clients that I have convereted to Zinc based blocks like being able to see the sunscreen sometimes. Ive been told it gives them a certain confidence "seeing it and knowing it’s still there which means I feel like it’s working."
Simply Stated blocks such as Zinc or Zinc oxide is a powdered mineral that sits on top of the skin, scattering, reflecting, and absorbing UVA & UVB rays. Modern day manufacturers label sun care products with the word "Micronized" or "nano-particulated". As I mentioned, Zinc is a mineral...its HAS to me micronized.
In the End...
In the end, what it comes down to is what a body is willing to invest in when it comes to the better health of their skin. I am blessed by those who have taken my advice and because I am so very adamant about sun protection, I will be releasing my own line in the near future! I've made Mind Body Welness a priority and I hope you will too!
P.s. Click on the Above picture an visit the Goddess Garden site and pick up some of your own product! #GoddessGarden
