'Everybody's free to wear sunscreen'... Sorry Baz,... I love that
song and although it's full of good advice, the one thing you are wrong
about is the sunscreen!
It's funny when I have loads of
blog ideas lined up, then one thought will lead me on a trail of
research and reading and I end up blogging about something completely
different. I was sat in the garden this morning. The UK is FINALLY
seeing some nice weather. The Sun is out, the air is warm, and everyone
is feeling more cheery.
I
found myself wondering about coconut oil, as I had read that it can be
used as a natural sunscreen. I'm at that point in the year when I will
be looking for good deals on sun lotions to prepare us for the coming
summer. As I searched for recipes and information, I come across
information about sunscreens containing oxybenzones. All this info hit
the UK news a few years ago, but I had obviously missed the info being
released, or was just too busy with everyday life to pay attention. The
headlines were 'Sunscreens cause cancer' and everyone got all fired up
about being one minute told to protect themselves and children in the
Sun, and then being told that the very product they were using could
have cancer causing effects. Here is an article from the Daily Mail
explaining what sun screens can do to the skin
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-134252/What-ingredients-sun-cream-health.html
Most
sun screens available on the high street contain oxybenzones. It is
this product that soaks up the UV rays and allows us to stay in the sun
longer. Oxbenzone is an organic product that is traded under the names
of Eusolex 4360 and Escalol 567.
This quote from Wikipedia highlights the controversy surrounding this as an ingredient in cosmetic products..
In
the EU products intended for skin protection with 0.5% or more
oxybenzone must be labeled "contains oxybenzone". This organic compound
has been shown to penetrate into the skin where it acts as a
photosensitizer. This results in an increased production of free
radicals under illumination, possibly making this substance a
photocarcinogen.[citation needed] This study concludes that "determining
what, if any, type of damage is done by ROS generated by UV filters
needs to be explored." This study is of oxybenzone and two other
sunscreen active ingredients. Two years after the study this information
is now reaching consumers,. Oxybenzone is a derivative of benzophenone,
which can attack DNA when illuminated. It generates strand breaks and
various photoproducts. Already in 1993 the use of oxybenzone had been
strongly criticized, based on its similarity to benzophenone.
Oxybenzone
can be found in a number of products, including lip balm, make up and
moisturisers, especially if they have an SPF (Sun protection factor).
When doing a search for oxbenzone on
EWG's Skin Deep Cosmetic Database,
it returns 1171 products. Environmental Working Group is a USA based
site, but a quick scroll down, and I saw lots of brands I recognised..
Hawaiian Tropic, Avon, LaRoche, Vichy, L'Oreal, Blistex and Neutrogena
to name a few.
So whats the deal? Oxybenzone, although
providing protection from sun burn, also effects other things in the
body. It absorbs easily, it also aids absorption, allowing other
chemicals easy entrance through the skin into the body. It can damage
cells and can trigger allergies. The worst thing about oxybenzone from a
PMDD point of view is the fact it can upset the endocrine system,
therefore cause or add to hormone problems. It has been labelled as a
'hormone disruptor'.
Now, 'they' will have you believe
that this is in these products in such a small amount that it will not
cause any ill effects.. but what if you are re-applying this product
repeatedly every day? As per government health recommendations. Through
the summer months, or if you live in a sunnier climate, you may plaster
yourself in sun screen every day. What if, on top of your sunscreen,
your moisturiser, lip balm and make up also contain oxbenzone? Is that
still a small amount in the system?
As
a hormone disruptor, oxybenzone mimics hormones, namely estrogen. It
also effects the adrenal hormones. It is claimed this is a weak effect,
but what could that mean in someone whose hormones are already super
sensitive? As women with PMDD, we know that any upset to our delicate
hormone system can cause massive impacts on our everyday life. Some of
us watch what we eat for this very same reason.. processed foods with
unhealthy additives can also go towards making symptoms worse, so why
not the chemicals we add through our skin. Imagine someone who ate
unhealthy foods regularly, used products that were full of these
chemicals, maybe on the pill, or taking medications regularly... toxic
overload to the body!
When they tested people in
America, 97% had traces of oxybenzone in their system. It has been
linked to a low birth weight in baby girls, as it is easily absorbed
into the mother's system and passes into the placenta. I also need to
mention that what isn't absorbed into our bodies, is washed into our
water and absorbed into our earth. This in turn causes hormone
deficiencies in the fish that swim in our waters.. and who will be
eating those fish? The cycle continues.
There are
also other ingredients you should try to avoid when buying sunscreen,
Retinyl Palminate is a source of vitamin A, and is sold as an anti aging
product. What they don't tell you is when in contact with the sun's
rays, it heats up and breaks down, releasing free radicals which in turn
INCREASES your risk of skin cancer. Think of how many times your
bottle of lotion is sat warming up in the sun, allowing chemicals to
release from the plastic packaging and changing the chemicals in the
cream. Hence the 'Sunscreen causes cancer' headlines.
Sunshine brings many benefits:
It helps to fight depression and SAD - sunlight is a natural mood enhancer.
It
increases the body's
production of melatonin and serotonin. These are essential
neurotransmitters which play distinct roles in regulating mood and
health. Sunshine also helps regulate sleep patterns by regulating the
body clock, which in turn can help with a number of disorders.
Vitamin
D helps to prevent cancer - When sunshine hits the skin, vitamin D is
produced. It also helps to prevent the development of various types of
cancer such as prostate, ovarian, colon, lung and breast cancers.
Recent studies also show that vitamin D deficiency contributes to these
types of cancer. It also helps improve skin conditions like eczema,
acne and psoriasis. Read more about vitamin D here,
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/161618.php
It helps to improve sleep - Sunshine can help to regulate our body clocks, which then helps sleep patterns, depression and mood.
If
you wear sunscreen, you effectively block all the goodness giving rays
of the Sun. Vitamin D will not be produced, as the Sun cannot penetrate
the layer of sunscreen. Add to that the chemical reaction that could
be going on that is actually increasing free radicals into the skin and
increasing the risk of cancer, and to top it off the fact that these
lotions could actually make your PMDD worse, unsettle hormones and cause
more stress on the body.
Look for these names on your
bottle of sunscreen. If they are there, your lotion contains
oxybenzone: BUTYL METHOXYDIBENZOLMETHANE, OCTYL DIMETHYL PABA,
ETHYLHEXYL METHOXYCINNAMATE, RESORCINOL,BENZOPHENONE-3,
2-BENZOYL-5-METHOXYPHENOL; 2-HYDROXY-4-METHOXYBENZOPHENONE;
(2-HYDROXY-4-METHOXYPHENYL) PHENYLMETHANONE; METHANONE,
(2-HYDROXY-4-METHOXYPHENYL) PHENYL-; (2-HYDROXY-4-METHOXYPHENYL) PHENYL-
METHANONE; OXYBENZONE(BENZOPHENONE-3) ; OXYBENZONE 6; METHANONE,
(2HYDROXY4METHOXYPHENYL) PHENYL; B3; DURASCREEN; SOLAQUIN
If
it contains any of the following names, it contains retinal palmitate:
RETINYL PALMITATE, AXEROPHTHOL PALMITATE; RETINOL, HEXADECANOATE;
RETINOL PALMITATE; VITAMIN A PALMITATE;HEXADECANOATE RETINOL; AQUASOL A;
AROVIT; OPTOVIT-A; RETINOL PALMITATE; VITAMIN A PALMITATE
I
decided to check the kids sunscreen I used on my 6 year old daughter
today... yup.. it contains butyl methoxydibenzolmethane. It actually
contains 23 chemicals... some safer than others.
I for
one will be looking into natural products and ways to stay safe in the
sunshine. I am lucky enough to have Anglo Indian skin, which tans but
rarely burns. I have used sunscreen in the past, but tend to prefer
sitting in the shade or covering up with a scarf. After discovering
this, there is no way I will happily smother myself or my kids in this
stuff again. When there are alternatives out there, I think it easy
enough to switch and not take the risk to my health, and to feel like
I'm doing my bit for Mother Earth too.
Look out for my next post about sun safety and chemical free sunscreen alternatives!
More reading:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxybenzone
http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/oxybenzone-sunscreen-ingredient
http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/retinyl-palmitate-vitamin-a
http://blog.canceractive.com/tag/oxybenzone/
http://fishcreek.ca/blog/?p=109
http://www.ewg.org/analysis/toxicsunscreen
Check
labels, read the ingredients and be sure of what you are applying.
Email the manufacturers if need be, or just don't buy anything that
isn't clearly labelled. Titanium oxide is also used in some products.
There is concern around the safety of this mineral, so I would advise
you do some more research on this is you are going to buy anything
containing titanium oxide.
I
found myself wondering about coconut oil, as I had read that it can be
used as a natural sunscreen. I'm at that point in the year when I will
be looking for good deals on sun lotions to prepare us for the coming
summer. As I searched for recipes and information, I come across
information about sunscreens containing oxybenzones. All this info hit
the UK news a few years ago, but I had obviously missed the info being
released, or was just too busy with everyday life to pay attention. The
headlines were 'Sunscreens cause cancer' and everyone got all fired up
about being one minute told to protect themselves and children in the
Sun, and then being told that the very product they were using could
have cancer causing effects. Here is an article from the Daily Mail
explaining what sun screens can do to the skin http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-134252/What-ingredients-sun-cream-health.html
As
a hormone disruptor, oxybenzone mimics hormones, namely estrogen. It
also effects the adrenal hormones. It is claimed this is a weak effect,
but what could that mean in someone whose hormones are already super
sensitive? As women with PMDD, we know that any upset to our delicate
hormone system can cause massive impacts on our everyday life. Some of
us watch what we eat for this very same reason.. processed foods with
unhealthy additives can also go towards making symptoms worse, so why
not the chemicals we add through our skin. Imagine someone who ate
unhealthy foods regularly, used products that were full of these
chemicals, maybe on the pill, or taking medications regularly... toxic
overload to the body!
