Milky-white skin was once the hallmark of a great beauty. In the 1920s, Coco Chanel popularized tanned skin as a symbol of wealth and the leisure time to cultivate a bronzed glow. Nowadays, research proves that exposure to ultraviolet rays breaks down collagen and elastin; and causes brown or scaly white discolorations, premature wrinkling, melanoma and basal or squamous cell skin cancers, broken capillaries, and DNA and immune system damage.
Obviously, sunscreen is a must for anyone concerned about the health and/or appearance of the skin. The difficulty lies in sorting through the plethora of products on the market, some of which are ineffective or even downright dangerous.
Sun Protection Factor: A Sun Worshipper’s First Concern
Sun Protection Factor or SPF refers to the level of burning rays that can penetrate the sun protection product. A product with an SPF of 10 allows only one-tenth of the UVB rays striking the skin to penetrate its protective layer. This means that the wearer should be able to stay out in the sun ten times longer without burning than if he’d worn no sun protection at all.
For daily normal exposure, such as walking from the car to the workplace, dermatologists and skin care experts recommend SPF 15; for longer periods of sun exposure or for use on very light, sun-sensitive skin, an SPF 30 should be used.
However, many sunscreen ingredients oxidize and degrade in the sunlight, shrinking the SPF by approximately one-third. So SPF 15 really only protects on the level of an SPF 10, yielding only about 88-94% protection from sunburn. SPF 30 provides 95-98% sun protection.
The Best Sunscreen or Sunblock Ingredients
UVB rays burn the skin; UVA ray age it. Broad-spectrum sun protection is necessary to minimize damage from both types of light.
Sunblocks contain minerals such as titanium dioxide or zinc oxide. They offer full protection, but have a tendency to be thick, “goopy,” and cause breakouts in acne-prone individuals.
Avobenzone (or Parsol 1789), helioplex, and Anthelios are the safest and most effective UVA-protecting chemical sunscreens. They are available in creams and lotions for dry skin and oil-free sprays or liquids for oily complexions.
Additives such as black or green tea extract are believed to help protect skin from sunburn as well.
Sunscreen Application
Sun protective agents break down and may be sweated or washed off; frequent reapplication is necessary for long periods of sun exposure. Even water-resistant products must be reapplied every 40 minutes and waterproof ones every 80 minutes.
Makeup wearers should invest in a face powder with high SPF, so that they can reapply protection without smearing their foundation or blush. Don’t forget a lip product with SPF, too; lips are particularly vulnerable to sun damage and skin cancer.
Sunscreen and Sunblock Ingredients That Cause Photosensitization
Avoid products containing musk, lavender oil, bergamot, sandalwood, cinnamates or the old standard sun protector call PABA (para-amino benzoic acid). Synthetic melanin is ineffective, offering little or no sun protection.
Note that many expensive products contain such ingredients; in the world of sun protection, expensive does not necessarily mean better. In fact, in an independent study by the Environmental Working Group, a sunscreen that cost almost one hundred dollars ranked in the five worst sunscreen products available!
If a consumer gets a reaction to sunlight despite wearing effective protection, a doctor needs to be consulted. Photosensitivity may indicate conditions like lupus or porphyria. It may also be triggered by certain medications, including antibiotics or over-the-counter painkillers. Otherwise, slather on the SPF and enjoy some summertime outdoors fun.
Sources
- Bark, Dr. Joseph, Your Skin… An Owner’s Guide, Prentice Hall, 1995.
- Gordon, Dr. Marsha and Fugate, Alice E., The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Beautiful Skin, Alpha Books, 1998.
- Schultz, Dr. Neal, It’s Not Just About Wrinkles, Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 2006.
- Tweed, Katherine, “ Report Gives Many Popular Sunscreens Low Ratings,” FOXNews.com, June 22, 2007.
Amy Sillup - I have a B.S. in Chemistry from Delaware Valley College and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania. I have worked as a ...
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