Skin Cancer Awareness-Making sense of SPF and do YOU need it?

Ok I'll answer that now. Yes we all need it! Why don't you wear it?
Some people ask:
1. Don't I need my Vitamin D from the sun?
Vitamin D is produced in the body when exposed to sunlight and can help combat seasonal and other depression, and in some cases actually help reduce cancer, but more isn't always better. A daily dose of D can be received from about 10-15 minutes of sunlight. Most of us can get this through windows of buildings, cars, and walking in between. If you think you have SeasonalAffectiveDisorder or that you need more sun exposure, go for it! Take a quick walk and soak up some rays, although to decrease aging skin, feel free to do this WITH sunscreen on at least your face and hands. The rest of the body can absorb light too, without making you look older faster ;)
Did you know that a white cotton shirt has very little sun protection, you can get your Vit. D, tan and even burn right through it. Darker colors absorb light and protect your skin more.
2. People in the past didn't wear sunscreen and didn't all die of skin cancer...
It's true that diagnosis of skin cancers are on the rise. Some of this may be because tanning was not popular until our great-grandparents made it fashionable and we have become more efficient at creating tanning environments, beds, lotions, and time spent outside. In addition, ozone depletion and other factors have increased the amount of radiation we receive daily and unless protecting our skin everyday, it will most likely see some damage.
3. Why do I need sunscreen when my skin produces melanin to protect me?
While your natural melanin gives you some protection, a tan is an increase in melanin production. When your skin tone darkens, melanin is being produced more rapidly as a defense mechanism, which means it is responding to a threat and damage already incurred. A tan is not a preemptive strike in the sun war. It is a regrouping and arming of troops after the missile hits. Therefore, a tan is not effectively keeping your skin from damage if you keep getting darker. Australia and South Africa are good examples here. Australia has a 1 in 3 skin cancer rate, but awareness is nationally sponsored and respected, which makes early detection and treatment more common and death far less likely. South Africa and a few other countries now fine parents that don't protect their children from the sun due to the excessive sun exposure and damage there. Those with darker skin may be less likely to burn but are also less likely to think they need protection or check themselves for skin cancer. While deeper completed people may have less cancer, they die more often from those few cases, since they don't detect problems as early as those who can more easily see their skin reddened or damaged by sun or tanning.

4. Aren't chemical sunscreens dangerous and do they even work?
Do they work is a good question. The answer.. depends on the sunscreen in question.
Until this year the FDA didn't regulate SPF claims on drugstore products, so they recently found all kinds of sunscreens, especially those labeled SPF 80 and over, including kid/baby products, that weren't effective at all. Now that regulation has started, the highest SPF you will see will be labeled as SPF 50+ to avoid a false sense of protection some high SPF users reported. Other changes include cutting out advertising claims that can't be validated. Water-proof has no proof, you will find water-resistant products instead. Sprays and towelettes will be cracked down on since they rarely deliver an effective SPF dose and powders are more closely watched as well. All SPF products must protect against UVA and UVB, which is new. And while this sounds dandy, it took years of pressure, petitions, etc... to enact this and even so we are years behind Europe in our product claim and safety regulation.
Sunscreen basics:
SunProtectionFactor doesn't mean the minutes you can safely be in the sun as many think, but how many times longer you can not burn, based on the ingredients plus your own sensitivity. So if you burn in two minutes, an SPF of 15 should keep you from burning for a half hour... Regardless of SPF, products must be used as directed to be effective, meaning reapplied in a proper amount every few hours.
There are chemical and physical sunscreens.
Physical blockers come from minerals like zinc and titanium dioxide. They are typically the least irritating to the skin, and don't let UV penetrate your skin, but can wear off like any makeup or product that sits on the top layers of dead skin. A risk to consider is that they are often in powder makeup or powder sunscreen form and should never be inhaled and can rub off.
Chemical absorbers like those including the chemical name -methoxycinnamate- and variants absorb the radiation, so it doesn't penetrate further into the skin and will slough off with dead skin cells, where the product is absorbed and sits. It does have higher irritation risks, since it is a chemical being somewhat absorbed and stops being as effective after 2-3 hrs.
Most sunscreens have a combo of blockers and absorbers and all are recommended to be reapplied every few hours, or after 45 min of sweating, swimming, etc... Also, note that most products are underused and therefore ineffective. You will at least need a shot glass full for the body and nickel-sized squirt for the face. Some residue should be seen to ensure enough is on the skin.
EWG website is pretty thorough and some say sensationalist about displaying chemical risk factors in skin products, but they do have an SPF guide and Hall of Shame which found that most high SPF claims weren't accurate, so if you want to see how your pre-FDA regulated sunscreens stack up, check it out and make sure YOUR sunscreen actually works.
http://breakingnews.ewg.org/2012sunscreen/

As far as chemical danger, I urge you to use physical blockers from an organic based skincare and body product line, as I agree there are some scary chemicals in mass-produced products. While some colors, preservatives, and other chemical ingredients have been linked to cancer, they aren't going to carry the same skin cancer risks as the sun, so I do not agree with those that say sunscreens are the reason for increased skin cancers.
The least irritating sunscreen is going to be one with those mineral blockers, and like any moisturizer for breakout prone or sensitive skin go for one that is oil, fragrance, dye, and paraben free. If you care about the environment and reducing your chemical intake, there are plenty of amazing brands that don't just plaster "Natural" on their umbrella-owned product, but actually are sustainably produced, vegan, organic, and contain healthy skin ingredients.

And finally I know that in addition to irritation, many people don't wear sunscreen because they find it greasy, smelly, or sticky. Finding the right product and application is the key there. They are not all alike. Find somewhere with a good return policy, read your ingredients, and product reviews, and try a few. Ooooooorrrr... Just read my next blog.
My next blog will feature favorite sunscreen products, correct application and the how, when and where to use it.