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Skin Health in the Sun

If you wear light colored (white is the best), loose clothing, that is usually enough protection against the sun's rays. It might take a bit of getting used to, but it's easy to put on a white long sleeve shirt made out of light materials.

What I don't understand is why people insist on wearing sunscreen, but keep their skin exposed! What sense does that make?

Cover your skin if you're getting too many rays! Or, even better, do your best to get away from the sun. Find a tree or a shady nook.
 
Okay, got a question that's easier to put in here than a new thread.

Regularly using Chapstick- beneficial or damaging? everyone seems to swear it's one or the other
 
Beneficial. Make sure it has SPF in it too as too. I've noticed that when I get too much sun without chapstick I'll get a cold sore.It also keeps your lips from getting dry and peeling and cracking, neither of which are fun. Plus it makes your lips taste good.
 
ya i love my raspberry lemonade chapstick, and i do wear it in the sun for spf reasons - but i mean like regular, chronic usage. I always hear ppl say that it's counterproductive to use it 24/7 like that..
 
The question is, letting yourself naturally protect itself, or relying on mega-corporation products do it. Which do you think is most healthy? Of course a product like chapstick is unhealthy.
 
Gooby pls.

bmxxx said:
ya i love my raspberry lemonade chapstick, and i do wear it in the sun for spf reasons - but i mean like regular, chronic usage. I always hear ppl say that it's counterproductive to use it 24/7 like that..
Click to expand...

Google turns up nothing significant on the topic other than yahoo answers and the like. The skin on your lips lacks oil/sweat glands, and an outer layer like the rest of the skin on your face. Because of this your lips can't self moisturize like the rest of your skin and they lack the protection making the skin more vulnerable to drying out. So by applying chapstick constantly you aren't running the risk of clogging any pores nor do you have to worry about your lips "forgetting" how to make their own oil.
 
wow, the contrast between your post and moony's is stark as hell!

thanks amanda that makes sense- i think most ppl's concerns are that it slows/hurts skin turnover at the llips but if they don't have pores/glands and don't need to 'vent' themselves w/ oil then can't see any problems coverin 'em with petroleum!
 
I dont really think its as simple as 'we dont have pores in our lips therefore rape them with product'. The thing is, just like eye drops and anything else like that, you are taking over your natural bodies protection and replacing it with a 3rd party product. Your body becomes immune to things, it shuts processes down if you are taking care of an element like the sun with something else other than your own body.

So, if you want to become dependant on products like eye drops and chapstick and sunscreen and all that... well, go for it. But, just remember mr moonyham warned you that it will end badly. I used chapstick when i was a bit younger for a couple weeks, before i knew it, my lips were constantly dry without it.

Theres also the issue that these products are band aids, they are not the solution to the deeper issue. If you suffer from chapped lips, hydrate yourself for starters - that is the biggest cause of chapped lips. If you are still hydrated but still getting chapped lips, avoid the wind for a while as they repair. There are many reasons for all sorts of things, but the solution is never some mega corporation product, its looking after yourself properly. Yes, its easier to take a pain killer than drink some water, that doesnt mean you are OK when that head ache goes away, youve just put a band aid over it. Understand?
 
moonyham said:
I dont really think its as simple as 'we dont have pores in our lips therefore rape them with product'. The thing is, just like eye drops and anything else like that, you are taking over your natural bodies protection and replacing it with a 3rd party product. Your body becomes immune to things, it shuts processes down if you are taking care of an element like the sun with something else other than your own body.

So, if you want to become dependant on products like eye drops and chapstick and sunscreen and all that... well, go for it. But, just remember mr moonyham warned you that it will end badly. I used chapstick when i was a bit younger for a couple weeks, before i knew it, my lips were constantly dry without it.

Theres also the issue that these products are band aids, they are not the solution to the deeper issue. If you suffer from chapped lips, hydrate yourself for starters - that is the biggest cause of chapped lips. If you are still hydrated but still getting chapped lips, avoid the wind for a while as they repair. There are many reasons for all sorts of things, but the solution is never some mega corporation product, its looking after yourself properly. Yes, its easier to take a pain killer than drink some water, that doesnt mean you are OK when that head ache goes away, youve just put a band aid over it. Understand?
Click to expand...

You're right in saying that individuals should look for causality - what is making one have chapped lips, dry eyes, etc. before simply turning to a product (or "band-aid" as you put it) to relieve symptoms. However, I think it's safe to say that using these products in moderation would not be terribly unhealthy, but that goes for most things. Bear in mind that it is not always possible or practical to simply avoid what is causing these symptoms and for most people, buying a tube of chapstick or bottle of eyedrops is much more effective in the short term than waiting it out, trying to treat the problem naturally or dealing with it on its own. I'd much rather show up for a job interview with visibly smooth, hydrated lips than worry about what (most likely negligible) damage I am doing by applying chapstick.
 
bmxxx, since you post in SD I feel its somewhat appropriate to mention melanotan and melanotan II which can aid in natural melanin. it will increase the darkness (tan) without having to over expose to the sun to keep your tan. they are peptides and should be researched thoroughly before using. I am debating using it late winter/early spring to work on my tan for the summer as its difficult for me to tan (Irish descendant) yet oddly I don't burn even with prolonged exposure (4-5 hours at the beach). I use a loofa daily in the shower to scrub off dead skin and apply a light non greasy moisturizer after the shower and my skin is soft and healthy (I'm almost 22 so young skin is a plus). i generally don't use sun screen either even while spending 8+ hours outside working during hot Illinois summers.
 
thnx, am gg check into it. Luckily, it seems the sun worries are over for the season due to combo of weather and me being sidelined for prolly another week at least. At this point there's no more worries til next yr :)
honestly i'd be hesitant tho for esthetic reasons lol, i get dark as hell and *hate* the constant "thought you were <insert cent/south american nationality here>" comments :| )

random articles i read today on the subject (not very pro-sunscreen. a large point of contention seems to be that skin cancer is caused by UVa sunlight, while sunscreens only block UVb, so sunscreen *does* protect against sunburns, but doesn't do much to stop the cancer-causing wavelengths. or something like that)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12081374/#.ULevjIZRqK4
http://printwords.co.uk/ewg-claims-92-sunscreens-ineffective-calls-snake-oil/
http://www.skincancer.org/prevention/tanning

bear in mind all 3 links are from a comedy article on cracked.com, so take 'em for what they're worth.
 
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Is sunscreen bad for you? No.

No association was seen between melanoma and sunscreen use.

There was no harmful effect of daily use of sunscreen in this medium-term study. Cutaneous squamous-cell carcinoma, but not basal-cell carcinoma seems to be amenable to prevention through the routine use of sunscreen by adults for 4.5 years. There was no beneficial or harmful effect on the rates of either type of skin cancer, as a result of betacarotene supplementation.

Regardless of melanoma or non-melanoma skin cancer is caused by DNA damage typically resulting from UV radiation. There are two types of UV radiation of concern to skin cancer are UVA and UV. Though less prevalent than UVA, UVB is higher in energy and is the wavelength responsible for sunburns. Absorption of UVB radiation by the skin and consequentially by the DNA causes direct damage to the DNA by by physically altering the structure of the bonds. This type of direct DNA damage actually leaves a detectable pattern in the DNA. UVA radiation also causes skin cancer but through indirect DNA damage, in these instances the UVA radiation is absorbed by chromophores and then forms free radicals that can damage the DNA. Direct DNA damage by UVB radiation causes the majority of skin cancers which happen to be non-melanoma, indirect DNA damage by UVA radiation causes melanomas.

So that means you want sunscreen that protects against both the entire UVA through UVB wavelengths, thus broad spectrum.

Because I'm too tired to finish researching this. Things to note- There was a study I came across stating that one of the compounded in sunscreen was responsible for single strand DNA breaks but this claim hadn't been verified by other researchers. There's more concerning the effectiveness of compounds in the sunscreen.
 
I've been wearing moisturizer with sunscreen in it since I was 13, and I'm so glad I did. I forgot sunscreen a few times and got badly burnt on my legs and got freckles from it. :( I wish I had worn more lotion with sunscreen on the rest of my body, but I only did the face since I was young and haven't gotten into the habit to remember it every day everywhere else.

Bmxxx, you know how bad our sun is!
 
olive or sunflower oil with aloe vera, and lavender.

Most suncreams are bad for you - coconut oil is also great as it's naturally cooling - so boostered with the above 2 ingredients it's great - also you could use turmeric internally and out to improve your complexion.
 
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