Sunburn season officially kicked off Memorial Day weekend. Are you prepared? After all, you don’t want to get skin cancer like me, do you?

SHADE AND CLOTHES: YOUR FIRST LINES OF DEFENSE

To be protected, you need to reduce your exposure to two kinds of sun rays:

1) UVA, which causes wrinkling and ageing, and

2) UVB, which can cause basal cell (what I got) and squamos cell carcinoma.

Most people rely on some kind of sunscreen or sun block to keep them safe. But according to the EWG Sunscreen Guide compiled by Environmental Working Group, a non-profit research institute that analyses sunscreens and sun block every year right before summer begins, only about 25% of the 1800 products analyzed deliver great protection from the sun without using dangerous chemicals you probably don’t want to apply to your skin.

I’ve linked to some of the sunscreens that pass muster for safety and effectiveness below. In case you can’t remember brand names, here are the ingredients you should look for when you shop:

ZINC OXIDE-BASED CREAM OR LOTION SUNSCREEN WITH AN SPF OF AT LEAST 30

* Read the label of any product you’re considering carefully. Choose a sunscreen that contains the active ingredient of zinc oxide (NOTE: EWG also recommends titanium dioxide or 3 percent avobenzone, but Marie Veronique Organics, one of EWG’s highest rated sunscreen manufacturers, makes a convincing case here for sticking with zinc oxide-based products).

• Avoid oxybenzone, a hormone disruptor,  and vitamin A (retinyl palmitate or retinol), which may actually increase the risk of skin cancer or other skin problems.

• Use creams or lotions, not sunscreen sprays or powders.

• Use an SPF of at least 30, and apply it at least 20 minutes before you need protection.

• Buy sunscreens that do NOT contain bug spray. Apply bug repellant separately if needed.

EWG says “the major choice in the U.S. is between “chemical” sunscreens, which break down in the heat and sun, penetrate the skin and may disrupt the body’s hormone systems, and “mineral” sunscreens (like zinc), which often contain micronized- or nanoscale particles of those minerals.”

After reviewing the evidence, EWG determined that mineral sunscreens offer the safest choice currently. They are stable in sunlight and do not appear to penetrate the skin. Plus, they protect against UVA, a leading contributor to skin cancer. If you don’t like mineral products, EWG recommends you use a sunscreen containing 3 percent avobenzone and without oxybenzone, but scientists recommend parents avoid using oxybenzone on children due to penetration and toxicity concerns

BRANDS RECOMMENDED IN EWG’S SUNSCREEN GUIDE

Among the best sunscreens EWG recommends are the following, which you can find online, in our own Amazon store, or possibly in your local drugstore or supermarket. All of those listed below have an SPF of at least 30.

Marie Veronique Organics  – Moisturizing Face Screen SPF 30

Badger – Lighlty Scented Lavender Sunscreen and Baby Sunscreen with Chamomile and Calendula

Blue Lizard – Australian Sunscreen, Face

Burt’s Bees – Baby Bee Sunscreen Stick

California Baby – Everyday/Year-Round Sunscreen Stick and No Fragrance Sunscreen Stick

Seventh Generation – Baby Sunscreen

(Here is the complete list of EWG’s Sunscreen recommendations)

 PROTECT YOURSELF FROM THE SUN!

Even before you buy sunscreen, think about ways you can protect yourself from the sun.Why? Because people who use sunblock alone may be more likely to get skin cancer, since they actually spend more time out in the sun than those who don’t use sunscreen. If at all possible, avoid direct sunlight, especially between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. when the sun is most intense.

That doesn’t mean you need to stay inside! It’s summer, after all, and a great time to enjoy the outdoors. If you’re at the beach, take shelter under a shady umbrella when you’re not in the water. If you’re out gardening, biking, walking, or picnicking, wear long-sleeved cover-ups and capris to protect your arms and legs. If you’re strolling about, don a hat and sunglasses to protect your face, neck and eyes.

WEAR COOL CLOTHES LIKE THESE…

Here’s are some clothes that are cool and sheer but still effectively prevent powerful sun rays from damaging your skin.

The post Safe, Effective, Non-toxic Sunscreens Protect Against Sunburn & Skin Cancer appeared first on Big Green Purse.

Skin cancer is scary and ugly. I should know. I’ve had it seven times. And every time, I’ve had to have it cut out or burned off in order to control it.

Why do I get skin cancer so often? In part, I’m genetically pre-disposed. My ancestors were northern Europeans from Scotland and Poland, which means they were fair skinned and likely to burn if they spent too much time in the sun. I’m the same way. I freckle first, especially on my face. But then the burn sets in. It takes my skin a very long time to tan, but I can burn in half an hour.

Apart from my DNA, I’m getting skin cancer now because I spent so much time tanning and burning when I was a teenager and young adult. We thought sun tans made us look “cool” (our word for “hot” in those days). Getting a tan in the summer was as important to us as eating ice cream or going to camp. We would slather our bodies with baby oil to “speed the burn” then make sure we were out in the sun during the most intense hours of the day – 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. We wouldn’t come in until our skin was so red it seemed radioactive. It seems ridiculous now, but it was what we did then, when no one ever talked about skin cancer. (These burned feet and other photos of sun burn are on Ellen Degeneres’ website.I don’t have photos of me all burned up as a kid.)

My first skin cancer showed up when I was 38 years old. It was right in the corner of my left eyelid (the picture above is not my eye, but that bubble you see on the eyelid is exactly what mine looked like). My eye had to be anesthetized, and then the cancer was cut off. I walked around for about a week with some unsightly stitches on my face before the scar healed. Soon after, a much larger skin cancer showed up on my chest, right below my collar bone. This surgery was bigger and left a scar about an inch long. Pretty soon, every couple of years, another skin cancer would show up – on my shoulders, my hands, my back, my stomach. Often, my dermatologist could simply freeze the cancer and kill the cells. But recently, a new skin cancer appeared on my upper chest. This one was the most serious of all and required MOHS surgery, a more complicated procedure in which the doctor must cut deeply into the skin and all around the cancer to make sure the entire cancer is removed. It took a week for the incision to scab over, and a few months for the red swelling around the scar to subside.

I’ve become an expert at looking for the early signs of basal cell skin cancer, the kind of cancer I get and that is both the most common and the least dangerous form of skin cancer. I’ve only ever had basal cell skin cancer, not the more dangerous squamos cell cancer or the deadly melanoma. But basal cell can turn into melanoma if you don’t catch it quickly enough. I also get a check-up every six months, just in case new cancers are in progress. I take a lot of precautions these days to protect my skin, but there’s not much I can do about the damage that’s already been done.

I’m sharing my story with you in the hopes that you will take the threat of sun-related skin cancer seriously. Keep an eye out for it, treat it as soon as you find it, and meanwhile, stay out of the sun!

For more information, visit The Skin Cancer Foundation.

Here are some pretty nasty pictures of what skin cancer can do to your face.

Read about Sun Smart Skin Care here.

Find nontoxic, eco-friendly sunscreens here.

Above basal cell skin cancer photo is from Medscape.com.

The post Skin Cancer is Scary and Ugly. Here’s What Mine Looks Like. appeared first on Big Green Purse.

My daily face lotion contains SPF15, and if I’m at the beach I always use at least SPF 45, along with a hat, sunglasses, a breezy long-sleeve shirt and light pants. Yes, it took a while to get over wanting a “summer tan.” But there’s nothing like a few bouts of skin cancer to put vanity into perspective, especially considering the facts:

Every year, more than 800,000 Americans are affected by basal cell skin cancer alone. The percentage of women who are younger than 40 when they develop the disease has tripled in the past three decades, says the National Women’s Health Resource Center; the same age group has quadrupled its rate of squamous cell skin cancer. More than 77 percent of cancer-causing exposure occurs after the age of 18. (By the way, tanning beds are no safer than the sun. Using tanning beds before age 35 increases your risk of the even deadlier skin cancer, melanoma.)

The sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays appear to trigger most lip cancer, too. What’s more, too much sun can prematurely age your face and make you look as pinched as a prune. UV rays even take their toll on eyes, causing cataracts and other ailments.

UVA is the most abundant source of solar radiation; it penetrates beyond the top layer of human skin. UVB is a factor, too. The hours between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. (9 a.m. – 3 p.m. during standard time) pose the greatest risk, and that’s true whether it is sunny or cloudy

What Can You Do?

• Follow the “shadow rule.” Avoid the sun during the late morning and early afternoon when the sun is strongest – and when your shadow is shorter than you are.

• Use enough sunscreen. Apply one ounce of sunscreen (about the amount that fills your palm or a shot glass) at a time. Larger people will need more. If you’re swimming or sweating a lot, apply sunscreen immediately after drying off. Don’t miss ears, around the eyes, neck (all the way around), hands, feet, toes, and backs of knees.

• Use the right SPF. Different skin types need different SPF (sunburn protection factor) ratings. The American Academy of Dermatology advises choosing a sunscreen with at least SPF 15. If you are fair, burn easily and often suffer bad sunburns, choose higher SPF numbers such as 30 or 45. But don’t stay in the sun longer. An SPF 45 “probably provides 3 to 4 percent more protection than a SPF 15,” says Dr. Susan C. Taylor, MD, a Philadelphia dermatologist and the Founding Director of the Skin of Color Center at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital in New York. According to Dr. Taylor, even though skin pigment, or melanin, in the “average” African American gives protection equivalent to SPF 13, brown- and black- skinned people should still use sunscreen with at least SPF 15.

• Apply early and often. The American Cancer Society (ACS) recommends applying sunscreen 15 to 20 minutes before going outside to let your skin absorb it, then reapply every two hours. Because no sunscreen is truly “waterproof” or “sweatproof,” reapply after 40 minutes of sweaty activity or swimming.

• Dress for the occasion. Wear protective clothing, such as a wide-brimmed hat, long-sleeved shirt, and long pants. Protect your eyes with wraparound sunglasses that provide 100 percent UV ray protection. Beach umbrellas and other kinds of shade help, but UV rays can still bounce off sand, water, and porch decks. Use sunscreen whenever outside.

What to Buy?

• First, throw away last year’s lotions, as some ingredients lose effectiveness over time.

• Pick the best product. According to Environmental Working Group, 54 percent of sunscreens become unstable when exposed to light and might not offer the advertised protection. The group recommends the “best” sunscreens here.

• Consider self-tanning lotions and sprays. However, you can still burn in the sun, as these only contain an SPF of 4. Use a sunscreen every two hours with an SPF of at least 15.

If you want to cover up, consider these two “thumbs up” options:

• Solarweave® is a revolutionary fabric specially manufactured to block more than 97.5% of all UVA and UVB radiation. Available in bathing suit cover-ups, long-sleeve shirts, t-shirts, pants, and hats.

• Coolibar clothing comes packaged with a hang tag that includes an Ultraviolet Protection Factor (or “UPF”) rating. Some clothes claim to block 98% UV. Available in tunics blouses, hoodies, pants, and cover-ups.

Want to learn more? See our Personal Care Page, or visit the National Women’s Health Resource Center .

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