Caring for Your Skin in the Sun
Summer is here and so are the long days full of sunny outdoor activities. Whether you are spending the day in the park, at the beach, or the farmer’s market it’s important to take the time to carefully protect your skin.
Good skin care is a large part of a healthy lifestyle, as it not only helps delay the natural aging process, such as wrinkles and age spots, it also helps protect against various skin problems and the risk of skin cancer.
Get started protecting your skin with these tips and learn how to pick the perfect sunscreen.
The Sun Care Basics
Start with allowing yourself to get around 15 minutes of early morning sun exposure before applying sunscreen. Sunscreen and anti-UV fabrics block the absorption of vitamin D. This will allow your body adequate time to get some of the vitamins it needs.
Before applying sunscreen, make sure your skin is well moisturized and hydrated from lotion. Dry skin will not properly absorb sunscreens.
Be sure to cover your skin as much as possible with tightly-woven, light colored cotton clothing, as well as protecting your scalp, face, and eyes by wearing proper headgear and sunglasses.
Seek shade, if possible, during the sun’s strongest rays between the hours of 10 am – 2 pm.
Apply a sunscreen of 25 SPF or higher 15 minutes before long-term sun exposure in an even layer over all exposed skin from your head to your toes. Reapply to all skin at least every two hours.
Everybody burns! Although people with fair skin burn more easily than those with dark skin, who can handle longer exposure to the sun, we all have the need to protect our skin just the same.
What to Avoid in Sunscreen
Just as you check the ingredient labels of the foods you eat; you should also check the ingredient lists of what you apply to your skin. Many sunscreens contain harmful ingredients that are known endocrine disruptors, which may lead to conditions such lower testosterone or endometriosis. When picking a quality sunscreen, stick to products that avoid these ingredients:
Phthalates
Parabens
Synthetic fragrances
Synthetic tinting agents – natural ones are okay
Oxybenzone, Octinoxate, avobenzone & octocrylene
Unpronounceable names of various solvents
Homosalate, Octisalate & PABA – use with care (homosalate & octisalate are considered safe under 8% but not much is known about their endocrine side effects) (PABA is recommended for patients with Vitiligo, if under 15%)
What to Look for in a Sunscreen
When it comes to picking a sunscreen, mineral sunscreens are by far the safest choice. They do feel slightly heavier on the skin than chemical sunscreens, such as homosalate and octisalate, however newer research is proving these types of chemical sunscreens could become endocrine disruptors in large doses. When picking a mineral sunscreen, here are few things to look for:
Zinc Oxide – which works by reflecting the sun’s UV rays. Look for zinc oxide between 15-30%, however, beware these products will leave a white glaze on your skin if over 25%.
Titanium dioxide – this is not as effective against long UV-A rays, however, a great 2nd choice next to zinc oxide.
Clean carrier oils – this will help protect the skin’s barrier by locking in hydration. Look for oils such as jojoba, almond, shea butter, vitamin E, and cocoa butter. As well as natural plant derived protectants such as calendula, chamomile, chicory root extract, prickly pear or nopal extracts, rose extract, lavender extract, squalene, and niacinamide to prevent oxidation.
