Healthy Tip of the Day: Safe Sunscreen
Mar 29th, 2011
We all know by now that sunscreen is a must unless we want to prematurely age our skin or worse, get skin cancer. But before you start lathering lotion all over yourself and the kids this summer, take a few seconds and read the ingredients. Many sunscreens on the market contain chemicals that cause more harm than good. Here’s what you DO NOT want to see:
diethylphthaltate (which may cause liver and kidney damage and reduce fertility)
4-Methyl-Benzylindencamphor
Oxybenzone (It’s linked to allergies, hormone disruption, low birth weights, cell damage)
Cotyl-Methoxy-Cinnamates (OMC)
Octyl-Dimethyl-Para-Amino-Benzoic Acid (OD-PABA)
Homosalate (HMS)
Polyethylene Glycol (PEG)
Whenever possible, a hat and shirt is the best sun protector. But as parents, we know that’s not always a reality. My son screams like a banshee when I try to put his sun hat on him. Check out the Environmental Working Group’s fourth annual Sunscreen Guide for safe sunscreen options.
It is also important to remember that vitamin D, formed in the skin through exposure to the sun, is essential for many processes in the body, including maintaining healthy bones, a strong immune system and protection from certain types of cancer. Year round, overuse of sunscreen combined with too little time outside can contribute to vitamin D deficiencies. Getting 15 minutes of unprotected sun exposure at least 3 times a week is a good way to keep your body naturally producing vitamin D. After that, slap that hat back on, ladies. Aged leather may look good on a handbag but never on the face.
Originally posted May 27, 2010
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Written by Lea Barlow • 4 Comments
Esther Harper Tue, Mar 29, 11:36am