Be Beauty Smart: Sunscreens and the secrets of healthy tan

I don't know about you guys, but I love summer. Summer means hot sun, ice cream and beach (at least for me). The main source of vitamin D in the body is sunshine too. The nature is beautiful, birds are chirping, soft breeze touches your face, the sun is shining, we can enjoy BBQ and I am sure everyone wants to do outdoor activities.

Since I was a child my mom and my grandma always told me don't go out without a sunscreen, wear hat, seek the shade and if you can, don't go in the sun between 10am-4pm.

Many years ago I thought if I put a sunscreen on me and I repeat it in every hour I am safe from the harmful UV light. I was so wrong.

After my esthetician school and many researching and learning, I realized that there are lots of harmful and not effective sunscreen. I had to admit if I don't use the proper sunscreen, I am not protected at all.

So first we have to get to know better UVA, UVB and UVC and their effect to the skin.

UVA

It penetrates the skin deeper than UVB and it plays a major part in skin aging and wrinkling (photoaging). UVA damages skin cells (called keratinocytes) in the basal layer of the epidermis, where most skin cancers occur. UVA is the dominant tanning ray.

UVB

UVB penetrates only the outer skin layer and it causes skin reddening and sunburn. It plays a key role in the development of skin cancer and a contributory role in tanning and photoaging.

UVC

It was absorbed by the ozone layer and did not reach the earth, but since the ozone layer is weakened it has an effect on us.

How does a sunscreen work?

Sunscreens help to prevent the sun's ultraviolet (UV) radiation from reaching the skin.

Most sunscreen blocks the UVA and UVB sunrays. Basically it means if you would normally turn red/burn after 15 minutes in the sun with no protection on your skin at all, then if you use sunscreen with SPF (Sun protection factor) 25, then 15X25 (=325 minutes/ 5 1/2 hour) is the time that you can spend in the sun without burning.

Broad-spectrum sunscreens protect the skin from both UVA and UVB rays.

According to EWG's Skin Deep "Sunscreens can help reduce UV-related free radical damage by diverting the radiation from the skin, but the ingredients themselves can break down and release their own free radicals in the process.

Most of the US-approved UV filters release free radicals – octylmethoxycinnamate, oxybenzone, avobenzone, octocrylene, titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, Padimate O, PABA, menthyl anthranilate, and Mexoryl SX."

Most sunscreens block some UVB radiation, but many don’t screen UVA rays at all. In fact sunscreens don't really protect us just delay the effect of the radiation. Even if it's with a high SPF it won't offer 100% protection.

Please note that the tanning process is nothing more than the body's natural protection for all kinds of harmful light rays.

Most of the sunscreens that you buy at the local drugstore “chemical” sunscreens, "which have inferior stability, penetrate the skin and may disrupt the body’s hormone systems, and “mineral” sunscreens (zinc and titanium), which often contain micronized- or nanoscale particles of those minerals" according to EWG.

High SPF - is it better?

You can think if you use a sunscreen with SPF 50 then you are more protected than if you used sunscreen with SPF 15. But it doesn't work like this.

An SPF 30 offers about 97% UVB sun protection, while an SPF 15 offers about 95% protection. An SPF 45 product blocks about 98% of rays. So there is no point to use a sunscreen with higher SPF than this.

A product with SPF 100+ don't offer more protection than SPF 45.

A sunscreen with SPF 50+ could be dangerous, because people can think they can stay longer in the sun without reapplying the sunscreen. People also think that these high SPF products offer more sun protection, but the truth is they don't.

According to EWG "the UVA protection from high SPF products is much weaker than it should be, maxing out at about 20 in products made for the U.S. market. Because of a mismatch between UVA and UVB protection, high SPF products suppress sunburn but not other types of sun damage."

Waterproof, water resistant sunscreen

I have a bad news for you. There is no sunscreen that actually waterproof. Sunscreen washes off easily, if you sweat or you go to the water .

FDA dermatologist Jill Lindstrom says:

"Sunscreens may only use the term 'water resistant' and must clearly indicate how long water resistance actually lasts."

The final regulations include these additional labeling provisions:

"Water resistance claims on the product's front label must tell how much time a user can expect to get the declared SPF level of protection while swimming or sweating, based on standard testing. Two times will be permitted on labels: 40 minutes or 80 minutes.

Manufacturers cannot make claims that sunscreens are “waterproof” or “sweatproof” or identify their products as “sunblocks."

The final FDA regulations will become effective June 18, 2012.

How to Tan Safely?

Eat lots of carrots, spinach and goji
Habituate your skin to the sunlight in late spring and and early summer. Be just 10-15 mins in the sun. It's enough to expose your skin to sunlight for 10-15 minutes on occasion
Apply sunscreen a minimum of 15 mins before being exposed
Avoid sun exposure during the midday hours
After sun exposure use a lotion with soothing and anti-inflammatory plant extracts (like aloe vera)

Here are some natural ingredients for a safe tan:

Yellow sweetclover (yellow melilot)- it has anti-inflammatory properties
Marigold and yarrow extract protects the sensitive skin
The tomato, carrot juice and the extract of sea buckthorn oil complete the pigments (melanin) protective effects
Cocoa butter and jojoba oil and sesame oil are nourishing and protect the skin

Natural sunscreens