Archive: Common Sense Sun Protection

In addition to teaching workshops and writing pamphlets at Community Pharmacy, I occasionally had the opportunity to publish articles about conscious consumerism and self health care in their bi-monthly newsletter, Infused. This article is updated from one published in May 2012.

Sunshine is wonderful! Every year, we see how sunshine coaxes free the strong grip of Wisconsin winters, urging leaves and flowers to open into the softness of spring. It keeps right shining, heating our lakes and streets into steamy summers. We know that sunshine brings us health, too: converting the skin’s cholesterol into Vitamin D, a powerful antioxidant; synchronizing the body’s internal clock for optimum altertness and sleep; lifting the mood from depressed states like Seasonal Affective Disorder. And, even without looking at the science behind the benefits of sunshine, we know that spending time outdoors in warm weather, bathing in the warmth and light from the sun feels good.

Idyllic as sunshine can be, it is also this planet's greatest energy and radiation source, and it's possible to overexpose ourselves. Depleted ozone and air pollution create a greater risk for damaging sun exposure, and skin cancer rates are on the rise around the world. That’s no reason to avoid enjoying beautiful weather, but common sense places sun protection as another valid facet of self health care.

THE SUN & YOU

The Sun is a star at the center of our solar system. It bathes our planet in a spectrum of electromagnetic radiation, including Visible light (sunshine), Infrared rays (accounting for up to 50% of our planet’s heat) and Ultraviolet rays (UVR.) This radiation is vital to life on our planet, utilized in some way by almost every organism.

• Ultraviolet A (UVA) rays (used in tanning beds) trigger melanin production in the skin without burning. However, studies show that UVA rays deeply penetrate the skin, and can ultimately cause long-term skin damage. UVA rays may also enhance UVB ray cancer-causing potential and suppress the immune system. UVA rays pass through cloud cover and most glass.
• Ultraviolet B (UVB) rays are the burning and tanning rays, which are generally associated with skin cancer. UVB is filtered out by most glass used in building and car windows.
• Ultraviolet C (UVC) rays are germicidal, and are largely filtered out by the ozone layer of the atmosphere; relatively little reaches the planet's surface.

There are many strategies for protecting ourselves from overexposure to the sun's UV. You may choose to avoid sunlight, especially at peak hours of intensity (usually 10am-2pm.) You may wear clothes that fully cover your skin, and even seek out specifically UV-blocking materials. Many people choose to enjoy sun exposure in moderation, and use a sunscreen lotion to protect their skin from absorbing too much UV. The huge range of sunscreen products can make this a daunting choice. Worse, the sunscreen industry has not done an excellent job explaining how to use their products most effectively. Investigating the labels and ingredients of sunscreens demystifies this overcomplicated products, and improves our ability to look after our wellbeing.

SPF IS ONLY ABOUT SUNBURN

A sunscreen lotion’s SPF rating only indicates how long the product can protect your skin from UVB, the “sunburn rays.” Most people will see their skin sunburned if they stay out in the sunshine, unprotected, for about 15 minutes (though the skin may not feel sunburned for 2-4 hours, or look burned for up to 24). Multiply that time – the time it takes to get a “sunburning dose” of UV radiation – by your sunscreen’s SPF to get an idea of how long that product can protect you from sunburn. For instance, an SPF 15 sunscreen will give you (if you use it correctly – more on that below) 15 x 15 minutes = 3.75 hours (225 minutes) of safe play time to in the sunshine.

Sunscreens with extremely high SPF ratings have recently appeared on the market, creating some confusion about the efficacy of common SPF numbers. While it’s possible that these sunscreens could provide protection for a greater length of time if properly applied, you would be hard-pressed to find the 23.5 hours of sunshine for the protection implied in a SPF 95+ sunscreen! Higher SPF ratings do technically mean greater protection (SPF 15 sunscreens usually test at 93-95% protection, while SPF 30 offer 96-97%), but the new trend of extremely high SPFs is more about marketing than it is about offering a higher quality product. Most dermatologists advise people to wear SPF 25-30 for daily protection.

While UVA doesn't cause sunburns, we know it does damage skin, contributing to skin cancer, oxidation, and wrinkling. The FDA recently revised its expectations of sunscreen labeling to include UVA protection, in addition to the familiar SPF rating. Sunscreens with the phrase 'Broad Spectrum' on their labels meet the FDA's standards for UVA protection.

USE PLENTY OF SUNSCREEN

Sunscreen can only protect the skin it is covering; for your entire body to be protected, your entire body must be covered with sunscreen. In order to offer optimal protection, a sunscreen must be applied liberally, and reapplied often in order to maintain its protective value. For most of us, this means using a lot more sunscreen than we are used to! Industry studies have shown that, for anyone wearing swim trunks or bikini swimsuits, at least 3 Tablespoons (1.5oz.) should be used per application (1 teaspoon of that should be applied to the face and neck)

REAPPLY OFTEN

Lotions don’t last forever. Once applied to the skin, lotions are generally absorbed, worn or washed off, or evaporate in about two hours. This includes sunscreen lotions. Sunscreens also need to be applied well in advance of sun exposure. For optimal protection, apply sunscreen around 30 minutes before you leave the house. This gives the active ingredients a chance to bind to your skin and establish a protective layer. To maintain the coating of sunscreen necessary to protect the skin, reapply (with another 1.5 ounces!) every 90 minutes. If you are swimming or sweating heavily, you’ll want to reapply more often. Yes, this means you will use up an entire tube of SPF 15 when you go to the beach for the afternoon! Using enough sunscreen in each reapplication is the only way to maintain the full promised protection of your sunscreen.

CHOOSE YOUR BATTLES

Once you know a bit about the ways sunscreens work, when to use them, and how to make them work most effectively; you get to choose how sunscreening products can best serve you. Do you want to use sunscreen everyday, or just when you are going out for an afternoon in the sunshine? You also get to make decisions about active sunscreen ingredients and lotion base ingredients. It can seem like a complicated choice. Identifying your personal priorities and letting them guide your product choices is a skillful way of becoming a conscious consumer.

ACTIVE INGREDIENTS

Sunscreens are basically body lotions which contain key ingredients that can either absorb or deflect UV radiation (UVR) in an effort to protect your skin from sun exposure. The most common conventional active ingredients are synthetic, or chemical, compounds which absorb UVR. These have recently been called into question by independent studies. Many chemical sunscreen active ingredients which are now considered photocarcinogens – substances that ironically break down on exposure to sunlight, damaging DNA in the process. Of particular worry are the -benzone and PABA families. The safest chemical active ingredients include the -cinnamate family and ecamsule, which cannot significantly penetrate the skin.

• Avobenzone – UV absorber, May degrade when significantly exposed to light, Suspected photocarcinogen (has a destructive effect on DNA when exposed to light)
• Oxybenzone & Dioxybenzone – UV absorber, Suspected photocarcinogic
• PABA – UV absorber, Increases the formation of a particular DNA defect in human cells, thus increasing the risk of skin cancer
• Padimate-O – UV absorber, PABA-derivative, suspected photocarcinogen

Mineral, or physical, sunscreen ingredients – which deflect UVR away from the skin – are inherently broad-spectrum protectors, are extremely stable, and come with a minimal risk of causing skin irritations (as they cannot generally penetrate the skin). In the past, mineral sunscreens were notorious for their visible whitening effect when applied to the skin, but current formulas use finely micronized minerals (very small particles), which greatly reduces the products’ opacity as it sets into the skin; these sunscreens should become invisible 10-30 minutes after application.

All mineral content in skin care formulas is technically “micronized” (another word for powdered.) Recent concern for safety of extremely fine particles (“nanoparticles”) has to do with minerals powdered to such a degree they can actually penetrate the skin. Particles smaller than 70 nanometers can be absorbed by lung aveoli if inhaled (more an issue in cosmetic powders than sunscreen lotions. Particled micronized to smaller than 50 nanometer can be absorbed into cells. Once absorbed, studies show these nanominerals may act as carcinogens in the body.

SUNSCREEN LOTION BASE

Active ingredients may make the protection, but the majority of our experience of a sunscreen is in the lotion we spread on our skin several times a day. Sunscreen lotions, like body lotions, come in many different densities, scents and ingredients profiles. Some are thick to withstand sweating, some set to a matte finish to improve comfort in warm weather. They come in a range of fragrances; from floral to tropical fruit to deliberately unscented. If you are concerned with skin allergies or chemical sensitivities, you can find sunscreens without synthetic filler ingredients or preservatives. Read labels, try testers, ask the opinions of your friendly neighborhood body care mavens! Choosing a sunscreen with a lotion base you love is key to regular sunscreen use.

Biodegradable sunscreen products became an important focus of the sunscreen industry as environmental organizations identified common sunscreen ingredients to be a major cause of recent coral reef and aquatic ecosystem degradation. To avoid contributing to this type of pollution, choose sunscreens made without synthetic or petroleum ingredients – particularly preservatives such as -parabens, camphor ingredients, or active ingredients in the -cinnamate and -benzone families.

GOOD SENSE

Spending time outdoors is good for the body, mind and heart. Using sunscreen is just one way to keep ourselves safe and healthy over the summer season. We can also support our sun-worshipping hours by staying well hydrated and drinking water every day. Well-hydrated cells are more resistant to damage. Eat the summer's harvest of antioxidant-rich fresh veggies and fruits, especially those containing high levels of lycopene like tomatoes, kale and spinach. These can help repair cellular damage from radiation and may protect the skin from burning easily. Eating omega 3-rich foods like wild-caught ocean fish reduces inflammation in the body, and may help the skin heal from sunburn more quickly.

Navigating the sunscreen industry is complicated by marketing misinformation and frequently evolving research results. Common sense, critical thinking and attentive label reading are the hallmarks of conscious consumers. This summer, the big themes for safety in the sunshine to remember are: liberal use of sunscreen, regular reapplication, and keeping an eye on the active ingredients we choose. And don’t forget the picnic blanket!  

Some Things I Know For Sure

1. Madison is home, and when I am here I am home, home, home without question. At home moving through these streets and grasses, the layers of memories and familiarities so thick it's like a dense white noise relieving the twitch of my reptile-survival brain. So easy to be here, building edifice against boredom becomes the lifestyle of choice, and I do my days gathering resources to do my nights of constructing more awesome.

2. Full-impact living for me, please. For the past couple of months, I've kept myself busy. Really busy, 11-hour-doing days, full-time-job-then-4-more-hours, "it's not an obsession, it's a community art project" busy. I've loved it. It's well and truly kicked my ass. And I've made beautiful things, big and impressive things, felt enormous emotions, deepened my insight into the intersections of synesthesia and empathy, forged closesness and love, and moved about so thoroughly my body is every cell comfortable. I started keeping myself busy to keep my mindself occupied and keep doubt at bay. Somewhere in there, I got pulled up short and slapped with a reminder that Power must be met with Presence. You are a bright light for reminding me I am always playing for keeps, darling, thanks.

3. I am moving towards the awesome. What started out as joking mantra has become concrete compass-rose, a real guiding star. A real, simple decoder-ring decision-making strategy: Does the thing in front of me move me towards the awesome? Yes? Okay, let's do. No? No thanks, nothing doing. I move towards what makes me happy, as often as I can, in word and action. Simple as that. Good work, good food, interesting conversation, kind people, more experiences. Moving this way also brings me towards Success, and Health, and Home -- in the inner-world-is-strong-and-well-lit sense of the word.

4. I don't always need to be home.

Gifts of Love

All through the mid of January I threw myself into designing a bittersweetsweet workshop. Fusing my two great loves in the world of wellbeing; the female and the aromatic. I had a two-hour window to perform a conjuring of living, breathing, healing sensuality, and I meant to make the most of every second. Figured it would mostly attract women in the night of winter, curled up inside woolen selves, missing sunshine and skin. Well, figured there'd be more like me out there. And I'm speaking now from the other side, from 4 weeks of steeping myself in sandalwood and jasmine at night, brewing honey into syrup with roses, vanilla, sweet wicked damiana by day. And remembering that, while it's our roots that place us deep in the world (like our crowns keep us hooked into the inspiration of the cosmos), it's that second chakra that keeps us solid in the world of the human (just as that third eye translates celestial inspiration into every day's insight.)

Which is certainly not to equate being a woman immersed in aromatic medicine with some kind of ambulatory womb, but is to say; if this life is about being in this body, and the thing that differentiates this body from others is skin and sensation and a particular sweetness of anatomy -- okay.

So I took all the time I might have to look outwards to perfect recipes and stretch the variations, to make little altars every day to the idea and flavors of intimacy in friendship, solitude, fantasy and memory. And it's good I think that I've been alone in this room, on these sharp winter days, to do this magic. It's gotten a little tangled, a little humid, like a dense sponge quietly living. The other, meatier side of solitude. Not the windy, heady heady satisfaction of the single mind, focused at leisure on a single point. More the deep silk and quicksand sensorium of this singular body, and the participatory insight of physical being. More incorporation, more direct experience, more living in nouns.

St. Valentine's, Modern Day of Consensual Acknowlegement that Love is a Powerful Thing We All Thrive Within, is my second-favorite holiday. I have not, for many many years, passed it without an Other to shower with all the gold of my imagination. I wrestled with that while I infused, composed and created the little labors of love with which others with shower their Others this year. And it's good now. Open hands, steady feet. And this wide gold mirror before me.

For your kind attention, beloved

Dear        ,

For all the well-wishing, permission-granting and vocal support: Thank you deeply for seeing me walking out and about, attempting this great big adventure. For all the unspoken worry, awkward pauses and slight bemused distain: I wish I could take you on retreat with me. It is the straightest path I know to an honest, earnest trust that the world is whole and that humanity is good;  the simplest path between you and I, and us.

I sat a week-long retreat in an environment consciously crafted to give relief from the doing pressure of everyone's everyday, with teachers offering reminders that the simple act of being, and being aware of being, expands the horizons of a human. I sat with 95 others around my age, and we practiced in parallel our part of the Human Project. We sat in silence, which is to say we spoke very little, with much care. The teachers spoke with guidance, the bell rang with timeliness, the birds, wind, and highway sang the way they can; there is no true silence on Earth, but every small piece of quiet carries clarity with it. I settled after a while, able to watch the chatter and flash of my mind, the interpretation/narration of my imagination, at a relatively low volume and from a relatively stable seat. I let my eyes unfocus into the peripheral and my skin soften. The week I spent was not intense, neither dangerously volatile nor seductively blissful. It was simple. Quiet. Aware. Focused simply on breath, on body in movement through space, aware of others and the external world. After a while, my mind, so slippery and fast, itself relaxed a bit, and opened to awareness of the internal world. With perfect timing, just as I was ready to see with softness and clarity.

When I entered silence, I imagined dropping a small stone into a clear dark pool, a query without articulation. Before the week was through the delicate tides triggered by that small intention rippled their way back to me, intercrossing and threading together the deep things below the surface of the pool into one ephemeral crochet response. I have a disillusionment to see my way through, a break in trust to let heal, a gap between us -- between me and you, Life -- to step across. I will get there. It is today's Human Project.