SUNSCREEN 101

We learned in my previous blog that sunscreen is your best protection against  visible skin aging and skin cancer.  You are now ready to go out and purchase your summer supply of sunscreen, so let’s run down a few of the basic rules before you break out your wallet.

1. Basically, SPF protects you from UVB rays, or the burning rays.  SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor.  In more specific terms, it’s really about Sunburn Protection Factor.  The SPF rating on a package of sunscreen indicates the number of minutes you will be protected from burning in the sun.  SPF multiplied by the number of minutes it takes you to burn (without protection) gives you the amount of time your skin will be protected from burning.  For example, if your skin burns in the sun after 10 minutes with no sun protection, a SPF 15 will give you 15 times 10 minutes of protection, or 150 minutes of protection before your skin starts to burn.  An SPF 30 will give you 300 minutes of protection, if you normally burn after 10 minutes with no protection.

 2. In addition to UVB protection, we also need UVA protection.  UVA rays are the ones we do not feel – they penetrate deeper into the skin and cause visible aging and skin cancer.  Even though sunscreen products are labeled “broad-spectrum protection,” learn how to correctly decipher an ingredient list.  Look for at least one of these ingredients on the Active Ingredients list:

• Avobenzone (Parsol 1789)
• Titanium Dioxide
• Zinc Oxide
• Mexoryl (Ecamsule)

 Many sunscreens are formulated with ingredients that “sound” like these – but again, you want at least ONE of these EXACT ingredients for proper UVA protection.  If you do not see at least one of these ingredients on the Active Ingredient list, try a different sunscreen.  At a trip to my local drugstore recently, it was easier for me to find many sunscreen products that DO include at least one of these ingredients rather than sunscreens that don’t.

 Some common questions about sunscreen:

1. How much sunscreen do I need to protect my whole body?  How much should I wear to protect my face?

For proper all-over protection, start with at least 1 full ounce (the size of a shot glass) of product to cover your entire exposed body parts.  Remember too that clothing does not provide full protection, so definitely consider covering the unexposed areas as well.  For the face and neck, apply about ½ teaspoon.  Don’t forget about your ears and the back of your neck.  This means you will need to purchase several tubes of sunscreen this summer. 

 2. Why do I have to reapply?  Aren’t I protected all day when I put on a SPF 30?

The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) recommends two full applications to cool dry skin spaced 30 minutes apart every morning, to help protect all day.  The reason why reapplication is recommended is that sun exposure mixed with the acid mantle in your skin will break down the effectiveness of your sunscreen after a couple of hours.  And reapplication is necessary after spending time in the water or after sweating.  

 3. Why do I still get tan when I wear sun protection?

SPF is protecting your skin from burning and cancer, but not from turning tan.  For fairer to medium skin types, a tan is the immune system’s way of protecting the skin from exposure, which means any tan in the skin is really a sign of damage.  No sunscreen, no matter how high a SPF rating it has, will completely block all rays – unless you are wearing 100% zinc oxide (like the lifeguards do).  SPF 2 gives a 50% block, a SPF 15 provides a 92% block, and SPF 30 provides about a 94% block.

4. Which ingredients are better for sensitive skin, or if I break out when I wear sunscreen?

If you have sensitive skin, look for Zinc Oxide as the Active Ingredient.  If you have a tendency to break out, try to find non-comedogenic formulas made with Avobenzone or Zinc Oxide.

In conclusion, visible skin aging really plays a secondary part to deadly or disfiguring skin cancer.  In recent years, skin cancers have become epidemic in the United States — with that knowledge, we need to be more proactive when it comes to protecting ourselves from harmful damaging UV radiation that occurs on a daily basis.

More sunscreen education to coming soon!

Please check out my Facebook quiz: What is your Skin Cancer Risk?

Why Sunscreen is Your Best Anti-aging Cream, or “Pale is the New Tan”*

As an esthetician, I often get asked about “which product is the best anti-wrinkle cream.”  Usually this question comes from someone closer to my age range (let’s say I’m between 35 and 60) and not from someone closer to my daughter’s age (let’s say she’s between 0 and 20), when it actually makes more sense to think about preventing wrinkles.  My answer is always the same: the best anti-wrinkle cream is sunscreen – worn every day when you were a child.  (Insert admonishing smile here.)

 

Our bodies (and skin) age two basic ways:  through internal, unavoidable factors (called intrinsic aging), and through external factors (called extrinsic aging) such as sun exposure, pollution, smoking, harsh topical products and stress.  Intrinsic aging only accounts for about 20 percent of the way we age – extrinsic factors cover the other 80 percent!  This means we have control over 80 percent of how we visibly age.

 

The sun, otherwise known as UVA and UVB radiation, is the number one environmental factor that ages us the most.  I didn’t want to believe it either, but it’s true.  I can think of few people who love the sun more than me (having grown up on the sunny beaches of Southern California, no summer complete without at least a few major sunburns before achieving a golden tan), but the sun is not exactly our best friend (as much as we want it to be) – unless you don’t mind your best friend giving you skin cancer, sagging skin, fine lines and wrinkles, broken capillaries and sun spots (thanks, friend!).

 

We actually get most of our cell-damaging sun exposure by the time we reach age 20.  And it takes about 5 to 20 years to actually see that damage in your skin (which explains why so many clients who visit skin care professionals to repair their skin are over age 35 – that’s when the damage we did in our teens and 20’s starts to become visible in the skin).  This is why it is so important to teach our kids about wearing sunscreen on a daily basis – getting into a habit that’s as easy to do as brushing your teeth every morning before you leave for school.

 

There is a silver lining out there for individuals who love the sun – studies have shown that applying a SPF 30 sunscreen on a daily basis will help reverse some of that damage you did years ago.  For those of us who absolutely have to be in the sun, wearing sunscreen doesn’t mean you won’t get a little color in your skin – sunscreen with UVA/UVB broad-spectrum protection is protecting you from skin cancer.  Look for products that contain antioxidants blended with these active ingredients: Zinc Oxide, Titanium Dioxide, Avobenzone (Parsol 1789) or Mexoryl (Ecamsule).  Apply at least 1 oz (the size of a full shot glass) to cover your entire body, 30 minutes before you go outside.  Don’t rely on SPF in makeup for adequate coverage – always use sunscreen first, then apply makeup with sunscreen for extra protection.

 

Blame Coco Chanel.  It was she who made a glowing tan a fashionable sign of “healthy” skin back in the 1920’s.  Until Coco’s arrival in Paris after a cruise from Cannes, a tan was seen as a sign of the working class.  Lily-white, pale skin was coveted by many societies.  But Ms. Chanel’s golden glow created a trend that has lasted almost 100 years.  With all that we know now, and with the growing numbers of skin cancers and precancers diagnoses, along with visible aging, it’s time to rethink that trend and start wearing sunscreen.

 

*This is the first blog in a series on sun protection.  May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month.

 

So I used a different sunscreen this weekend …

I am known in the family as the “sunscreen Nazi.”  I spent my childhood summers on the beaches of Southern California, and I’ve now spent the last 10 years trying to undo all that damage (for me, as well as a ton of other women my age who spent their childhoods worshipping the sun)– so I try very hard to make sure my children and the rest of my family are well-protected against the sun (try explaining to your 18-year old daughter that “pale” is really the new “tan”).

Every day without fail, my morning routine includes applying Epionce Active Shield SPF 30+ to my face and neck, followed by a dusting of mineral makeup (with natural SPF 20).  I love Active Shield with micronized zinc oxide, homosalate and octisalate — it absorbs very well and it has just enough moisture for my oily skin that I don’t need a separate moisturizer product in the morning.  The tube is only 2.5 oz though, so I generally don’t use it on the rest of my body — I use a different product to cover body parts.

We went on our first river rafting trip on the Fourth of July, and I bought several different types of my favorite body sunscreen from Neutrogena to protect the family.  I purchased Ultra Sheer Dry Touch Sunblock SPF 45, along with Active Breathable Sunblock SPF 30 and Ultra Sheer Body Mist SPF 45.  I was intrigued by Age Shield Face SPF 55 with Helioplex technology (a combination of Avobenzone and Octisalate which helps boost UVA protection), so I decided to try it on my face that day … Well, unfortunately by the afternoon, my eyes wouldn’t stop watering (I thought it might have been the wind on the river) — then by the drive home, I was burning and tearing and fogging up (I wear contact lenses and didn’t pack glasses like I should have).  I couldn’t wait to get home, cleanse my face, and put in a new set of contacts.  After I cleansed, I finally felt better.  The rest of my skin was fine; in fact, I was the only one with a weird reaction to any of the sunscreens.  I think it might have been the Avobenzone that irritated my eyes — it is a good broad-spectrum sunscreen ingredient, but it does tend to cause reactions in some people (never happened to me before).

So … I’m going back to my tried and true Epionce Active Shield SPF 30+ for my face … and I will stick with Neutrogena for the rest of my body.