While it is true that too much sun may be harmful and cause premature skin aging, it has become increasingly apparent that the use of sunscreens to avoid sun damage may be doing more harm than good. Over the past decade reports on the dangers of sun exposure and warnings from doctors to keep out of the sun and wear sun screen at all times have increased dramatically. Most individuals, especially in developed nations, have responded by slathering sunscreens on themselves and their children. The result is now a three-fold increase in skin cancers, a significant deficiency in the general population of vitamin D and other various health problems related to the use of synthetic sunscreens.
Ingredients in sunscreens have been shown to cause free radical damage in the skin and body, behave as estrogen mimickers and cause cancer. To further compound this problem, sunscreens restrict the body’s ability to produce Vitamin D, which has recently been understood to be a crucial vitamin in preventing the development of cancers (including skin cancer) and other diseases such as osteoporosis and multiple sclerosis.
In fact, new research has recently indicated that getting appropriate sun exposure can cut your risk of cancer by 60 percent.
For those of us who are also concerned about the aging affects of the sun on our skin, it turns out that most of the synthetic ingredients found in sunscreens also cause free-radical damage and premature skin aging. So what can you do to protect your skin?
One of the most importants things that you can do to protect yourself from and correct the effects of free radical damage is to eat an antioxidant rich diet. However, since 97 to 98 % of the antioxidants that we eat are utilized by the body before they reach the skin, it is important to topically apply antioxidants to the skin to combat and repair free radical damage. Antioxidants applied to the skin in the form of natural plant extracts and oils are one of the best ways to slow the skin’s aging process.
Doing simple things such as wearing a hat in the sun and avoiding too much sun exposure during peak UV radiation hours from 10 am to 1 or 2 pm, eating a diet rich in antioxidants and applying synthetic-free antioxidants to your skin are all great ways of both maintaining and impoving your skin and body health without risking further health and free radical damage through the use of synthetic sunscreens.
Related Links
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/08/13/New-Model-for-Cancer--Dynamite.aspx
http://www.ewg.org/analysis/toxicsunscreen
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090522081212.htm
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