Enjoy the outdoors, but protect your skin

Granola girl says:

Hey there,
I didn't wear sunscreen when I was a kid, you probably didn't either. I knew girls who put baby lotion on when they went to lay out in the sun, and some people bought "CopperTone" with the little girl on the label, her pants being yanked by a dog, exposing a white butt. Those were the choices back then, as far as I knew. And, I know that I suffered more than a few burns.

We spent long summer days at the community swimming pool. Water, chlorine, sun. Yes, I put my skin through the wringer, BUT, the protective layers of the atmosphere were in much better shape back then than they are now. Yes, I probably should have used something to protect my pasty white skin, but it is ever more important to do so now. And, we have options.

SPF clothing. There are clothes out there that have an SPF rating. I have some convertible pants by Columbia, that have an SPF of 30. You can also find, t-shirts, long sleeved shirts, hats, and other items.

Titanium dioxide. Do you remember the pool life guard with the white nose? When I was of the going-to-the-pool age, white-nosed life guards were no longer in evidence. I do remember them from old movies though. That white stuff was titanium dioxide, still a good choice for sun protection. You now can buy products that contain titanium dioxide (instead of PABA) today, however, they no longer leave your face white.This is my personal choice for sun protection, a brand I like is Jason's.

Para Amino Benzoic Acid (PABA) esters. These are found in many sunscreens and are more common now than PABA which was found to be irritating to some users. Many of these sunscreens also contain "parabens" which are controversial and have been linked to breast tumors. Remember, your skin is an organ and you are directly putting these substances into it. Proceed with caution is my advice.

Octyl methoxycinnamate (OMC). I know, I can't say it either, and I'm not a chemist, but this substance is present in 90 percent of sunscreen brands, and was found to kill mouse cells even at low doses in a study by Norwegian scientists, according to Dr. Mercola (www.mercola.com).

Tanning Beds. Again, controversial. Ads claim that you can use a bed and gradually build up the melanin in your skin before going somewhere like Jamaica and you'll be better off. It sounds good, but I would be leery.

Bronzers. If you want to look tan, I guess you can just paint on a tan with any of a number of products. A quick search tells me they don't include SPF, so you'd have to avoid the sun or use some sort of protections as well.

Limit your exposure. Yes, I know that's not easy and we do need vitamin D, but even if you stay out of the sun from 11am till 3pm, you are doing a good service to your skin.


 

 

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