With summer getting under way, we’re all getting ready to spend more time in the glorious sun! But before you head out to the beach, a baseball game or next outdoor family gathering, get the updated facts on the best and safest sunscreen for you and your family.
Did you know that all sunscreens are NOT CREATED EQUAL!

Based on research from the Environmental Working Group, some sunscreen brands can break down in the sun, leave you overexposed to damaging UVA rays or contain potential hormone-disrupting compounds. See their recommendations below for a sun safe summer!

Ingredients to Avoid
Oxybenzone
Vitamin A (retinyl palmitate)
Added insect repellent

Ingredients to Look For
Zinc
Titanium dioxide
Avobenzone or Mexoryl SX

Products to Avoid
Sprays
Powders
SPF above 50+

Products to Look For
Cream
Broad spectrum protection
Water resistant for beach, pool & exercise
SPF 30+ for beach & pool

Sunscreen Essentials
Don’t be fooled by a label that boasts of high SPF. Anything higher than “SPF 50+” can tempt you to stay in the sun too long, suppressing sunburn but not other kinds of skin damage. The FDA says these numbers are misleading. Stick to SPF 15-50+, reapply often and pick a product based on your own skin coloration, time planned outside, shade and cloud cover.
News about Vitamin A. Eating vitamin A-laden vegetables is good for you, but spreading vitamin A on the skin may not be. Government data show that tumors and lesions develop sooner on skin coated with vitamin A-laced creams. Vitamin A, listed as “retinyl palmitate” on ingredient labels, is in one-fourth of sunscreens on the market. Avoid them.
Ingredients matter. Avoid the sunscreen chemical oxybenzone, a synthetic estrogen that penetrates the skin and contaminates the body. Look for active ingredients zinc, titanium, avobenzone or Mexoryl SX. These substances protect skin from harmful UVA radiation and remain on the skin, with little if any penetrating into the body. Also, skip sunscreens with insect repellent – if you need bug spray, buy it separately and apply it first.

Cream, spray or powder – and how often? Sprays and powders cloud the air with tiny particles of sunscreen that may not be safe to breathe. Choose creams instead. Reapply them often, because sunscreen chemicals break apart in the sun, wash off and rub off on towels and clothing.

Visit the environmental working group’s website to check the safety of your sunscreen brand here

To learn more about food, exercise, and lifestyle choices can imact your health, contact us for a consultation.

Enjoy the sun!

Dorothy and Lori

Thank you to:

http://breakingnews.ewg.org/2012sunscreen/top-sun-safety-tips/

photo: http://www.google.com/imgres?q=sun+beach+umbrella&num=10&um=1&hl=en&client=safari&rls=en&biw=1215&bih=589&tbm=isch&tbnid=FeB-lp1rTJS7iM:&imgrefurl=http://www.umbrella-suppliers.com/Wooden-beach-umbrella/&docid=4deO7gsR5POB2M&imgurl=http://www.umbrella-suppliers.com/productimgs/default/Wooden_beach_umbrella-1.jpg&w=3200&h=3200&ei=va_OT-GwFYHm0QHrwfH6Bw&zoom=1

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