Sunscreen Season

Summertime is HOT! So many of the outside activities we do involve water and sunscreen.

Have you ever thought about your sunscreen?

Maybe it’s time that you do…

Your skin is your largest organ. Then you slather it in sunscreen.

Sunscreen chemicals penetrate the deep layers of your skin and pass into your blood stream. Some are inert but other can be more harmful. Lets take a look at the two most harmful ones here:

Oxybenzone

Oxybenzone is a xenoestrogen. Once it enters your bloodstream it acts like estrogen in your body. In natural medicine we call this estrogen mimicry. Estrogen mimickers create hormone imbalances, estrogen dominance, and even cancer as a result of hormone disruption. Lets think about this for a minute, do you want your kids or your husband getting xenoestrogens? My answer is no. There isn’t one of us that need more estrogen in that form.

Retinyl palmitate

Retinyl palmitate actually makes your skin more susceptible to damage including increased risk of certain cancers.

Once you start reading the labels you will be shocked to see that most of the conventional sunscreens including those found in cosmetics contain these ingredients.

So what’s a gal or guy to do?

The ideal sunscreen is protective from long-term sun exposure but not harmful to your body.

Head over to your local Sprouts or Whole Foods market and see what they have in the sunscreen department. Look for zinc oxide and titanium dioxide as the sun blocking ingredients instead of the harmful ones mentioned above.

The more natural blockers will turn your skin slightly white and do need more frequent application but I think they are worth it.

Now you can have more fun in the sun without harming your health.

To read more about how the Environmental Working Group evaluates sunscreens click here. http://www.ewg.org/2015sunscreen/hall-of-shame/

-Be Healthy, Happy, and Holistic

Dr. P