I have the best dermatologist. There is nothing he cannot fix, heal, or solve. When Dr. Stuart Kaplan speaks, I listen and so should you. The topic is sunscreen and his take on the Environmental Working Group’s 2010 Annual Report. The truth is that only eight percent of the products on the market have been awarded the green light by EWG, which are only 39 of 500 beach and sport sunscreens on the market for this season. Pretty scary if you ask me. Here are some other frightening facts:
The higher the SPF does not mean that you are more protected. It means more chemicals which can be more damaging. The high numbers are also misleading because consumers often think it is OK to go unmonitored in the sun for a longer period of time. There is no proof that the numbers are even truthful, so in this case the numbers do lie. Dr. Kaplan recommends applying a shot glass full (or one ounce) of sunscreen to your face, neck, chest, and arms. If you have other parts of your body exposed, apply accordingly and make sure to reapply every two to three hours.
Oxybenzone can disrupt your body’s hormone system. Say what? This is an ingredient that is found in a chemical sunscreen. Through my research I would stick with physical sunscreens that contain ingredients such as Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide. Physical sunscreens are also proven to protect the skin from UVA and UVB rays because they have actual properties that sit on the surface of the skin, think of it as an army fighting the sun.
Vitamin A, otherwise known as Retinol or Retinyl Palmitate, is a topical cream that is connected in helping fight the effects of aging. The thing is that some companies are throwing it into sunscreens so that you can get a two for one deal. Sounds too good to be true and it is. Vitamin A-laced sunscreen products are linked to the high probability of causing cancerous tumors.
Hopefully I have not scared the bejesus out of you, but I do highly recommend taking a look at your sunscreen and tossing anything that falls into these three categories. Happy summer. Until next time my friends, visit www.raylenebartolacci.com. To health and wellness, Salute.
