JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT IT WAS SAFE TO GO BACK IN THE SUN

I’d like some deep penetrating rays of death, please!

Go ahead, slather on that SPF 75 for your 30 minutes in the sun, which you’re told is good for your health. You think you’re doing something good for yourself with that sunscreen, saving your skin from early aging, wrinkles, freckles, and looking like we’re second cousin to rawhide. After all, that bottle you picked up during your weekly shopping had claims like “anti-aging formula” and “blocks UVA and UVB rays”. How couldn’t it be good for you?

For one, it turns out, according to this Washington Post article from early this month, SPF 75 is only marginally better than the SPF 30 you passed up as “just not heavy enough”. Bet you wish you had known that before and saved the two or three extra bucks. And, since its UVA ray blocking properties might be half its UVB ray blocking potential (UVAs are the nastier, cancer-causing siblings to UVBs), it is probably more useful to slather yourself in baby oil and head out during the prime death ray times – 10am to 4pm - to get your “healthy dose of sun”.

Does it get worse? Absolutely. Some of the ingredients in commercial sunscreens, like retinyl palmitate, can act as an accelerant for skin cancer tumors.

Of course, Europeans don’t have to worry about what’s in their sunscreens. The European standards are about 100 times more strict than the ones set forth by the US’s own FDA. In fact, the FDA has been trying to come up with a set list of safety standards since the 70s. Thanks for having our backs on that one, FDA…

So, what’s a health-conscious sun-lover to do?

One, don’t try to pound on the heaviest SPF you can find – it’s just a waste of money. Two, try the Skin Deep website, where you can learn about truly health-conscious sunscreen brands and where to purchase them. Third, remember to apply liberally and often. Even if it says “waterproof” on the bottle, they don’t mean it’ll still be working after four hours in and out of the ocean.

-Conrad, Moderator