Sunscreens accelerating cancer? I really freakin' hope not.

Remember how I said sorting through all the available information out there is confusing? Well, I just read an article about a recently published report stating that many sunscreens on the market may actually be accelerating cancer. Are you kidding me? I just got done preaching the benefits of sunscreen. I still think lathering on the SPF is necessary, but I think you should read the article and proceed with caution. I'll also do my best to summarize the findings on this blog.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) published a report stating that only 8% of the 500 products on the market are considered safe and effective to use. That's 39 of 500 sunscreens. Scary. You can read the press release which does a nice job explaining their findings. It also links you to other important information.

The EWG states that there are exaggerated Sun Protection Factor (SPF) claims out there. EG: SPF 100. Plus, some sunscreens include the ingredients oxybenzone and Vitamin A - now thought to be potentially harmful.

Oxybenzone helps to absorb UVA and UVB rays, ultimately protecting you from the sun's rays. However, it's a is a synthetic form of estrogen and has a hormone-disrupting compound that penetrates the skin and enters the bloodstream. Not good. Not good at all.

What's even scarier is that the FDA is investigating whether a form of Vitamin A, retinyl palmitate (found in 41% of sunscreens) can cause accelerated growth of skin tumors and lesions. The concern is that when it's applied to the skin and then exposed to sunlight, it may be increasing skin damage and elevating our cancer risk. The problem is that Vitamin A is known for it's anti-aging properties, so many companies add it to their products.

People are ticked off at the FDA because sunscreen regulations have never been finalized and it's been an ongoing battle since 1978. New regulations may not be issued for another year and a half, so protect yourself. Find sunscreens that don't include Vitamin A or Oxybenzone. Your best bet is a physical sunscreen which contain titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. These ingredients work as physical blockers that reflect UV rays and prevent them from striking the skin's surface. For more information about specific brands, you should take a look at the EWG's 2010 sunscreen guide. You can look up your sunscreen to see how potentially harmful it may be as well as see which products they recommend.

I looked up Dermalogica's Solar Booster SPF 30, which is my favorite sunscreen and it was ranked as a 7 on a scale of 10 (10 being the most harmful). It's not my favorite anymore. It's in the "red" category because it contains both potentially harmful ingredients I mention above. I just bought a brand new bottle and am going to try to return it and try something else.

Here are some tips:

• Don't solely rely on sunscreen to protect you from the sun. Wear hats, protective clothing, and take cover in the shade as much as possible. Don't forget to protect your eyes and wear sunglasses
• Choose sunscreens that contain the minerals zinc or titanium. Again, here's a list of the EWG's top sunscreens
• Avoid sunscreens with Vitamin A and Oxybenzone. We don't know for sure that Vitamin A is a problem, but I plan to avoid it until the findings are confirmed. You may want to consider it too
• Don't buy those sprays or powders because they're easier to ingest than creams
• I think anything higher than SPF 30 has too many chemicals and doesn't provide much more sun protection
• Remember than sunburns still increase the risk of skin cancer, so don't avoid sunscreen all together. Just be smart about what you choose

I hope this information is helpful. I'm going to be doing more research and will keep you posted on what I find. Contact me on this blog with any questions in the meantime.

Picking Products

I often get asked, "Which products are the most important to use?" I don't really have a standard answer because each person is different and everyone's skin has its own unique need. Plus, we all have different budgets and time allowances - and this affects which products we use.

When I give a facial, here's what's usually involved:

• Two cleanses
• Exfoliation
• Massage with aromatherapy and massage oil
• Mask
• Toner
• Moisturizer
• Sunscreen

Most people aren't going to go through all these steps everyday - nor is it necessary. At the very minimum, I recommend a good cleanser, a gentle exfoliant, a moisturizer and a sunscreen to use on a daily basis. Whatever products you decide to use, make sure they're right for your skin type (which I think is half the battle). For example, if you have oily skin with lots of breakouts or blackheads, you may want to find a cleanser with salicylic acid. You wouldn't use anything with salicylic acid if you're a dry skin type. 

Splish Splash
I recommend washing your face two times, twice a day. Yes, I said TWO times, twice a day. Washing your face the first time gets off all the dirt and debris we've accumulated overnight and throughout the day. The second cleanse actually reaches your real skin. It's like washing your hair. Think about the instructions on your shampoo bottle. It probably says something like, "Wash. Rinse. Repeat." The first wash removes the dirt and oil from your hair and the second wash actually cleans your hair. It's the same for your skin. Also, remember to wash your face with upward strokes. Don't help gravity by pulling down or you'll be sorry later on when you have saggy skin. 

Scrub-a-dub-dub
Our skin produces over 1 million dead skin cells every 40 minutes. Think about that. It's disgusting. That's why exfoliation is so important. You may not need to exfoliate daily, but you should definitely exfoliate at least twice a week. Use something gentle like Dermalogica's Daily Microfoliant (which you CAN use everyday if you'd like). People often think of St. Ives Apricot Scrub when they think of exfoliating, but I think it's too abrasive for your face so please don't use it. Plus, it uses ingredients that are comedogenic which mean they're likely to clog your pores.

Exfoliation deserves its very own blog post because it's so important, but one more interesting reason to exfoliate is because it helps loosen up dirt and oil (sebum) that gets trapped in the pores. That dirt and oil is what causes blackheads. Exfoliation will oxygenate the pores and keep your skin clear and healthy. That being said, don't over exfoliate. If you experience redness or agitation, decrease the amount of times you're exfoliating and see if that helps. 

Lotion Potion
Moisturizing is important no matter your skin type. You just have to find the right kind of moisturizer. I have a client who wasn't moisturizing because she had oily skin and thought it would make her even more oily. As a result, she became an oily AND acneic skin type. Her body started producing more oil because her skin needed extra hydration. Once I got her using the right kind of moisturizer, her skin cleared up because it wasn't over producing oil. In her case, she used Dermalogica's Active Moist. You should use your moisturizer once a day at the least (nighttime) but you can apply it under your sunscreen if you feel you need extra hydration during the day. 

Out Came the Sun
My final product recommendation is sunscreen. Preferably SPF 30. I went into the nitty gritty details on my blog post from Tuesday, April 27, 2010, Fun in the Sun? Wear Sunscreen. It outlines what type of sunscreen to use, why it's so important and how often you should reapply.

There are other types of products you can add to your regimen such as serums, masks and toners. I personally use Vitamin C and Retexturizing Activator serums from SkinCeuticals for extra hydration. You just have to find the products that work best for your skin and be patient. I can help you identify products that are right for your skin type and get you on a regimen. Feel free to message me on this blog or call me at 402-699-3481 to schedule a consultation.

Fun in the sun? Wear sunscreen.

Summer is quickly approaching and our winter hibernation period is almost over. Finally! In honor of summer, I thought my first official blog entry could be about sunscreen. There are SO many misconceptions and questions, so I’m going to try to clear up some of that confusion.

Most of us increase our sunscreen use May – August, but if you haven’t heard by now, you should wear sunscreen ALL YEAR LONG!

You need to understand WHY it’s so important and what the sun can do to our skin. Soooo, let's start with the basics. There are three different types of ultraviolet rays:

UVA
UVB

UVC

UVA and UVB are the rays that can harm our skin.

• UVA rays are most frequently used in tanning beds, so it shouldn’t surprise you that they affect the lower layers of the skin and destroy the collagen and elastin fibers, which keep our skin firm and tight. You can remember UVA rays are responsible for Aging.
• UVB rays are the rays that we’re the most frequently exposed to from the sun. They affect the top layers of the skin and are responsible for Burning.
• UVC rays are beyond the ozone and have little effect on the exposure that the skin receives.

How do you avoid UV exposure?

Wearing your favorite baseball cap to protect yourself is helpful, but it’s not enough. Over 50% of the sun’s rays can be reflected off the cement, sand or water and will be absorbed by your skin.

To best protect yourself, wear sunscreen. I recommend looking for a SPF (sun protection factor) of at least 30. SPF refers to the amount of time an individual can be exposed to the sun before you experience redness from the burning rays.

If you apply your sunscreen correctly, a SPF 15 filters out 93% of UVB rays while SPF 30 filters out 97% and SPF 50 filters out 98%. The protection between SPF 30 and 50 is minimal, but there are more chemicals in SPF 50, which is why I think SPF 30 is all you really need.

How often should I reapply?

Sunscreen breaks down in the sun, so you need to reapply. There are a couple of things you’ll need to know to figure out how often you should slather on the sunscreen:

1. You can assume your skin will start to burn in 10 minutes in the afternoon sun without any sun protection. For some people, it’s sooner. For some, it’s less, but 10 minutes is a good round number to use.
2. You should also know that you need to apply sunscreen about 30 minutes before going outside to allow it time to bond with your skin.

Knowing this information will help with the formula I’m going to give you to determine how long your SPF will last. Take your SPF number and multiply it by 10 (the time it takes to burn without sun protection). The result of this number will tell you how long your skin will be protected before needing to reapply. You’ll also need to take into consideration the 30 minutes of activation time to get your final number. Here’s the formula using SPF 15 and 30:

SPF 15: 

15 x 10 minutes = 150 minutes

Subtract 30 minutes of activation time

Total: 120 minutes (You have about 2 hours before you need to reapply)

SPF 30:

30 x 10 minutes = 300 minutes

Subtract 30 minutes of activation time

Total: 270 minutes (You have about 4.5 hours before re-application is necessary)

You obviously need to reapply after activities such as swimming and anything that causes you to sweat.

What type of sunscreen should you wear?

Make sure your sunscreen has avobenzone, oxybenzone, mexoryl, zinc oxide or titanium dioxide.

Always wear a lip balm with an SPF 15 or higher – remember that your lips can burn just like the rest of your skin. Reapply often.

There are two different types of sunscreens called blockers (AKA Physical sunscreen) and absorbers (Chemical sunscreen): 

• Common ingredients in blockers include Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide. They work as physical blockers that reflect UV rays and prevent them from striking the skin’s surface.
• Absorbers include chemicals such as Octyl Methoxycinnamate, Octyl Dimethyl PABA, Octyl Salicylate, Oxybenzone, Octocrylene and Parsol 1979. These ingredients chemically absorb the UV radiation striking the skin and break it up.

It doesn’t matter to me whether you use blockers or absorbers. Some people will have better results with one or the other. Some people say that blockers use fewer chemicals than absorbers, so it’s a more “natural” route to take.

How much sunscreen should you use?

For complete coverage, the experts recommend a shot glass-size amount (one ounce) for the entire body and a pea-size amount for the face. Use a little extra for your neck and chest too.

Layering several products with different SPF ratings doesn’t increase protection. You are only protected to the extent of the higher rating of one product. A foundation with a SPF of 10, moisturizer with a SPF of 15 and a sunscreen with a SPF of 20 doesn’t yield a SPF rating of 45.

Why should you use sunscreen?

Skin cancer is obviously the number one reason to use sunscreen. If that’s not enough to scare you, then vanity is a good reason too.

There’s a great tool estheticians use called a Wood’s Lamp, which utilizes violet rays or black light to analyze the skin and highlight various facial skin conditions such as sun damage (AKA hyperpigmentation). This is what my skin looks like on a regular basis with no makeup:

Below is what my skin looks like under a Wood’s Lamp. See all the brown spots around my nose and beneath my eye? All that will surface in the next 5 – 10 years. Think I’ve gotten better about wearing sunscreen? Absolutely.

If you need some sunscreen recommendations, here is a "Real Simple" article titled, A Dermatologist Picks Skin-Protecting Products.

Dermalogica’s Solar Booster SPF 30 is my personal favorite sunscreen for my face. It doesn’t make my skin too oily nor does it make it too dry. You can purchase this from Baldwin Beauty School (where I’m enrolled) and it retails for $43 plus tax.

If you want to see what your skin looks like under the Wood's Lamp or have any questions, call me at 402.699.3481 and book an appointment for a $30 facial (which includes a skin analysis). In the meantime, remember to wear a SPF 30 before going out in the sun.