Sunblock

[complacent orange]

It's that time of year again!
I get sunburned realllly easy. And skin cancer runs in my family. I go to a dermatologist once a year to make sure I don't have melanoma, ever since one time a few years ago when I had to have surgery for pre-melanoma dysplasia.

That being said, I'm terrified of sun block. I've just always intuitively never wanted the stuff touching me. It's super oily and just downright uncomfortable, besides being loaded with chemicals of which I have absolutely no knowledge.

So my question is.. does anyone know if sun block is in anyway harmful? Call me paranoid but I've never trusted products that doctors peddled to me.

 

[moonyham]

I believe sunblock is bad for you. Ive never researched it but just from using it and stuff.. it seems quite unhealthy.

I live in NZ which has one of, if not the highest, melanoma rates in the world. Thats due to the ozone hole being right above the country and our UV index being at 9-10 every day of the year basically - compared to 2-4 in most of europe etc.

I dont get burnt easily, but it only takes 15 minutes of a sunny days light to burn you here. On a clear day you can actually feel the sun burning you as you walk around, its like, got a sting to it. I never wear sunblock except when i go to the beach(couple times a year), i just wear jackets or hoodies or long sleeved shirts etc and wear hats. A physical barrier i believe is the best solution to the sun.

My forearms and lower upper arm is tan, and so is my neck, but i keep it maintained very well, i never let it get too dark or too light, cause once its too light its hard to get back to the level where its a decent protector, without burning yourself.. and too dark is just bad for you. Most would say ive got a very light tan, but i believe its a 'normal' tan.. NZ people just have fucked up sense of what a healthy tan is and what an unhealthy one is.

So yeah, hats, long sleeved shirts, hey even like a hoody made out of a meshy/free flowing material works really well eh.. keeps you cool and protects you.

 

[Portillo]

Use non-oily.

 

[footscrazy]

I haven't heard of it being actively harmful, but I get what you mean about the uncomfortable feeling. I hate it on my skin then touching my clothes, or touching my hair, it just feels disgusting. If I'm out in the sun I will wear a long sleeved top which I actually find keeps you cool too, by blocking out the sun, as long as you don't move around too much and produce your own heat to get trapped inside it. That being said though, I always wear a cream with sunscreen in it on my face, every day of the year, and I find these creams are often a lot better at feeling light weight and non oily. I often spread them on my shoulders too.

 

[poopie]

Man, maybe it's just me, but I love the smell of sunscreen!

I don't think that wearing a t-shirt is enough protection, either. I read somewhere that a shirt has an SPF of like, 7.

I live in Florida, literally on the beach. Sun is unavoidable here. I use a daily body lotion and face moisturizer that have sunscreen for regular days. On beach/boat/island days, I grab some neutrogena spray sunscreen. I love that stuff.

I doubt sunscreen and its contents are harmful, but if you're worried, perhaps just use plain ol' zinc oxide. Or, you could purchse some clothing that has high SPF ratings. I'll take sunscreen over getting carcinomas carved outta my back anyday. =)

 

[pavotsomnifere]

this is the first time i've ever heard anything about sunblock being bad/harmful/unhealthy, i've always heard it was one of the best things you can do for your skin and it's protection. you do have a point though, about all of the random chemicals we know nothing of.

i am now curious as well to find out if it can possibly be harmful. i use sunscreen every day (or atleast try to), Neutrogena "ultra sheer, dry touch" spf 100. it SAYS ultra sheer, but i find it extremely thick and slimy and uncomfortable, as everyone here has said. it's a pain to put it on each day but some sort of fear has been instilled in me that if I do not use it my skin will rot off or something...ha.

 

[PriestTheyCalledHim]

this is the first time i've ever heard anything about sunblock being bad/harmful/unhealthy, i've always heard it was one of the best things you can do for your skin and it's protection. you do have a point though, about all of the random chemicals we know nothing of.

i am now curious as well to find out if it can possibly be harmful. i use sunscreen every day (or atleast try to), Neutrogena "ultra sheer, dry touch" spf 100. it SAYS ultra sheer, but i find it extremely thick and slimy and uncomfortable, as everyone here has said. it's a pain to put it on each day but some sort of fear has been instilled in me that if I do not use it my skin will rot off or something...ha.

I was told that too about sunblock.

I know that sunblock can make your face look younger. I do not wear sunblock as much as I used to since I used to wear it daily but then I got a vitamin D deficiency.

If I'm going on a beach or swimming yes I do use sunblock and I use the highest SPF I can find even if it's only 50 so I do not get burned like friends of mine do who do not wear any at all or who wear low SPF and don't put any on again later.

 

[ChronicHD]

Sunblock is not harmful. But I heard on spring break that once your above like 40 SPF it stops being any more effective. Basically, don't waste your money on anything higher than 40SPF. I could be wrong though.

 

[Kenickie]

yeah once you're over 40spf it's kinda pointless. I use sunscreen everyday - makeup with spf and lotion with spf, and once summer rolls around I use straight up sunscreen everyday. Wrinkles, don't want none!

I doubt it's superbad for you. Sunscreen has been in use for ages, if it was superbad someone would have said something.

 

[dokomo]

Just wanted to comment - sunscreen is in no way harmful. Like, not at all.

I don't want to be rude, but if you don't want to do even the most cursory research about something, you shouldn't make statements like that. Sunscreen can save lives, and really everyone should wear it.

 

[ocean]

Any recommendations for a good sun screen?

I burn very easily, and usually don't go in the sun much- But I'd really like to stay pale through the summer- so any suggestions for a good sunscreen would be awesome!
(Especially one that will be comfortable under makeup and not be oily on my face)

 

[lazygit]

I'm pretty pale and tend to get sun burnt a lot, mainly on my face which is annoying because my skin doesn't take very well to all the lotions and potions. I'm using elave mens spf 15 on my face which isn't really high enough but is the best they sell. Elave claims to be free from all the nasties in skin products but it leaves white patches and shit :S

 

[Klue]

Just wanted to comment - sunscreen is in no way harmful. Like, not at all.

I don't want to be rude, but if you don't want to do even the most cursory research about something, you shouldn't make statements like that. Sunscreen can save lives, and really everyone should wear it.

Who is that directed to? Do you have any sources of your own? Because from what I have read it is a bit of a contentious issue? For the last 25 years I have been hearing that 'suncream gives you cancer anyway'. There is an insurgence of natural suncreams on the market here in Australia. Ones that are based on beeswax and the conventional white creams with less chemicals in them.


What the Australian Cancer Council have been saying for years now, and I agree... is that the best way to reduce skin cancer is just to reduce the exposure you have to sun. Stay out of the sun in the middle of the day when the UV ratings are at their highest.

I use conventional suncream but even completely lathered up, in Summer I try and stay out of the sun in those peak periods

 

[cutecute]

Most mainstream sunscreens you buy in the store are chemical sunscreens. They block the sun using chemicals. Ideally, this would just sit on your skin, but it doesn't. Oxybenzone, the most commonly ingredient in chemical sunscreens, breaks down when illuminated (well you will be in the sun won't you?) and causes free radical damage to the skin. Users of chemical sunscreens do not have lower melanoma rates than people who use no sunscreen. Just Google oxybenzone, you will not approve.

That being said, I use sunscreen on my whole body every day. I use physical sunblocks that use titanium and zinc (natural minerals that sit on top of the skin). These protect you from the sun without causing damage through chemicals, and don't irritate even the most sensitive skin (a reason why baby sunscreens are usually physical ones).

Personally, I will never buy a chemical sunscreen. Here are links to the ones I use, and if you want others check www.skindeep.com for lists.

for face
and body
and waterproof for the beach

None of these are sticky or gross, and they don't cause a white cast.

 

[dokomo]

Who is that directed to? Do you have any sources of your own? Because from what I have read it is a bit of a contentious issue? For the last 25 years I have been hearing that 'suncream gives you cancer anyway'. There is an insurgence of natural suncreams on the market here in Australia. Ones that are based on beeswax and the conventional white creams with less chemicals in them.


What the Australian Cancer Council have been saying for years now, and I agree... is that the best way to reduce skin cancer is just to reduce the exposure you have to sun. Stay out of the sun in the middle of the day when the UV ratings are at their highest.

I use conventional suncream but even completely lathered up, in Summer I try and stay out of the sun in those peak periods

Its only a contentious issue for websites like "natural-health-products-please-help-us-turn-a-profit.com" and other such sources at the moment. I am a big user of natural and organic products, but you have to realize that some websites and companies, with no scientific background mind you, will extrapolate the results from a minor study into "THIS WILL KILL YOUR CHILDREN" and use it to sell their product.

The consensus in the scientific community is that there insufficient evidence to even claim a correlation between sunscreen and cancer/other negative health effects (some can cause minor skin irritation, this isn't really harmful however.)

I responded how I did at first, because I understand how sunblocks work at the molecular level. We spent an entire unit examining aromatic compounds, using sunscreens extensively, when I took advanced organic chemistry as an undergrad. I can understand why they might seem scary and unnatural to some, but in reality they're really simple and benign.

whew - all that said, I use mostly physical sunblocks myself due to the fact that I find them more comfortable. You're absolutely right that the BEST way to avoid damage is to simply limit exposure.

 

[ranunky]

look for sunblock that is endorsed by dermatological societies/organisations. If you live in britian look for one endorsed by the british dermatological society, the symbol for which is a handprint.

btw. I think people like you are silly. why would you be scared of something for no reason, especially when it serves a purpose as useful as protecting your skin fromn UV rays. Don't be scared of something unless you have a reason. I bet you're a girl.