There's sunscreen in just about every cosmetic and lotion available, as well as most lip balms throughout the planet. Yet, skin cancer including melanoma is on the rise, just look at Australia. According to WHO “Currently, between 2 and 3 million non-melanoma skin cancers and 132,000 melanoma skin cancers occur globally each year” and sun exposure is the biggest culprit. While melanoma accounts for only about 4 percent of all skin cancer cases, it causes almost 80 percent of skin cancer deaths.
If sunscreen is available in most products and seems to be universally accepted and used, why is skin cancer on the rise in populations that do less and less outdoor work? Could ‘slip, slop'...be causing more harm than good? Much of the latest information floating around about the safety and efficacy of sunscreens comes from a groundbreaking study released in 2011 by the Environmental Working Group (EWG).
If you believe sunscreens may cause more harm than good, then don’t use them or check out some of the ‘natural’ sunscreens. But, if you believe that the current sunscreens are beneficial and outweigh the risks, choose a product that is broad-spectrum with an SPF of at least 30 with a PPD of at least 8.
However, check the label for chemicals to avoid and select a product that won’t irritate your skin. You may need to test products with various levels of alcohol content, for example. And, visit the Environmental Working Group’s Guide to Sunscreens and view their “Hall of Fame “and “Hall of Shame.” The July 2010 issue of Consumer Reports also rates sunscreen products.
Apply products 15-30 minutes before sun exposure, even on cloudy days. Apply a thick, even layer of product to all exposed areas. Don’t forget your ears, neck and backs of legs. Sunscreen goes on after moisturizer and other skin treatments (wait 30 minutes) but before makeup. If you don't wear any makeup, sunscreen should be the last thing you put on your skin. Reapply sunscreen every 2 hours, especially if it is an unstable sunscreen.
Sunscreens - Are They An Oxymoron?©2011 | Health WorldNet, Inc. | Last Date Modified : Jun 4, 2013
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