Is your sunscreen doing you more harm than good? Probably.
We are told that sunscreen will protect us from sunburn, wrinkles, and skin cancer. Yet, research now suggests that sunscreen might not do any of these things very well: instead, many of the most popular sunscreen brands might actually increase our chances of getting some cancers. EWG researchers reviewed 500 popular sunscreens and recommended only 39 of them as safe for consumers….EEESH!!
So how do you choose the right sunscreen???
- Ingredients to avoid: fragrance or parfums, high SPF factors, all spray sunscreens, oxybenzone, parabens, para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA).
- Look up your sunscreen on the EWG’s cosmetic database. If it isn’t safe, chuck it.
- Eat your sunscreen. Foods high in carotenoids provide natural sun protection. These include many fruits and vegetables, especially leafy dark greens and those that are yellow-orange like apricots, carrots, and yams. Other good sources include eggs, spirulina, and algae. The red pigment found in salmon, trout, and shrimp is another potent carotenoid.
- Get your Vitamin D. Vitamin D generated by sunlight may help protect the skin from cellular damage, including damage caused by sunlight itself. You would have to spend roughly 15 minutes between the hours of 10:00AM and 2:00PM, with 85% of your body exposed for optimal Vitamin D absorption (for a fair skinned person, much more for a dark skinned person).
- BEWARE of sunscreens labeled over 50 SPF. Most of these are disingenuous at best and are possibly loaded with more of the most hazardous ingredients.
- Stick to good organic, natural zinc oxide based products if you can.
Be sure to lather up in this high altitude enviornment. If you are unsure which sunscreen to purchase let our staff at the Keystone Spa assist you in finding the best sunscreen. Our staff picks include:
-Eminences Bright Skin Moisturizer
-Badger Balm, Zinc Oxide
-Goddess Garden. SPF 30
-California Baby. SPF 30 Plus Sunscreen
-Tropical Sands. All Natural SPF