Like almost any topic in the field of health and wellness, it seems there is a tangled web of research and opinions when it comes to sun exposure and sunscreens. Should we wear SPF 50 sunscreen for our walk from the house to the mailbox, or should we shun all sunscreens in our quest to increase our Vitamin D levels as much as possible? Do we buy sun protective clothing to safeguard every inch of our skin from the damaging UV rays, or should the real cause of our cancer fears be the sunscreen ingredients themselves?
As usual, I’m going to seek the balance on this controversial topic and try to share with you some brief synopses of the current research on the issue. I lean heavily on the EWG 2010 Sunscreen Guide but realize that multiple sources are necessary.
What is the Difference Between Sunscreen and Sunblock?
Before we get into the topic too deeply, let’s start with terminology. In general, tubes of sun protection use both terms fairly interchangeably, but officially sunscreens use chemical “absorbers” and sunblocks use physical blockers to protect the skin from UV radiation and sunburns.
The ultimate questions for any suncream is: Does it protect from both UVA (cancer causing) and UVB (skin damaging/burning) rays?
Look for terms like “broad spectrum” coverage or ingredients like avobenzone, zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, all of which protect from UVA rays. All sunscreens will protect from UVB rays because you’d notice if it wasn’t working!
How Sunscreen Works
“Sunscreens absorb UV energy and have to be absorbed into the upper layer of skin to really get up to full speed,” says Darrell Rigel, clinical professor of dermatology at New York University Langone Medical Center. (source) A chemical reaction takes place between the sunscreen ingredients and the UV rays to “screen” your body from most of the effects of the sun. That’s why the instructions on the sunscreen bottles say to put it on 20 minutes before being exposed to the sun. It needs that time to sink in to your skin before its full SPF is realized. (Sources: 1, 2, 3)
How Sunblock Works
Sunblock, on the other hand, is called a “physical” block rather than chemical. It sits on the surface of your skin rather than being absorbed into it. Most sources say that sunblocks “reflect and scatter UV light.” (1, 2, 3, 4 and many more)
Contrary to popular definition, the founder of Kabana, one of the products I’m testing for next week’s review, disagrees with that explanation and claims instead:
“Zinc oxide has a broader UV absorption profile than titanium dioxide, which is noteworthy, because much misinformation populates the media about how these chemicals protect us – they do NOT reflect and scatter in the UV spectrum – rather zinc oxide absorbs UV and does so very effectively. The media (and ‘experts’ alike) need to investigate the physical chemistry of these compounds, rather than assume they reflect UV light because they look white in the visible spectrum. They do reflect in the visible, but would look black in the UV.” (source)
Either way, sunblocks use minerals that sit on the surface of the skin (usually zinc oxide and titanium dioxide) rather than chemicals that sink into the skin to protect one from the sun. Mineral sunblocks begin working right away, so there’s no need to apply 20 minutes before sun exposure.
What is a Sunburn?
What exactly are we trying to protect ourselves from when we use sunscreen, anyway? (Note: I will use the term “sunscreen” alone to refer to both sunscreen and sunblock when both apply simply to avoid having to write sunscreen/sunblock constantly.)
According to this video from a dermatologist: Ultraviolet rays of sun penetrate the skin and cause damage to the skin. Inflammation and redness is a first level sunburn. Blistering means deeper damage to the skin. Tanned skin is superficially damaged skin. Tanning is the skin’s way of trying to protect the skin from damage. UV rays are radiation, so a sunburn is radiation damage.
To be Continued…
When you’re your own boss, you get to change the schedule around sometimes. My best laid plans were foiled by lack of time and discipline, and I’m not willing to write a subpar post without all the information. This research post will be continued Tuesday after my family returns from camping:
Forecast is 85F high, 65F low, lots of sun. I’m taking 25 sunscreens (sunblocks!) with us and subjecting them to one last test on this gorgeous beach at Lake Michigan. (Are you jealous?) I’ll return armed with data and anecdotes and review them all for you Tuesday or Wednesday. The following day I’ve got five sun protective clothing companies to run through the wringer and over $400 in giveaways total!
We’re using the sample 2-night meal plan from Kitchen Stewardship in the Big Woods: A Family Camping Handbook with Real Food Options (buy it here), along with a few of the extensions to last another day. We’re dragging my sister-in-law and her husband along – to the deep woods with no toilet – and we’re going to make nature appreciators out of them if it kills us! 
I’ve been working hard all week preparing food for six people for four days, so I guess that’s my excuse for leaving you hanging on the sunblock research. Here’s what you can look forward to in Part Two RIGHT HERE:
- The Risks of Chemical Sunscreens
- Memory Helps to Find the Safer Options
- Sunscreens and Sunblocks Release Free Radicals
- Mineral Sunblocks: Nano vs. Micronized Particles
- Why Zinc Oxide Better Than Titanium Dioxide?
- The dangers of sunshine?
- Skin Cancer: a Sun Issue?
- Vitamin D: The benefits of sunshine
See you Tuesday!
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Thanks for the info – I will look forward to part two. Have a great time camping! I am a little jealous – the lake looks beautiful!
.-= Andi´s last blog ..On Vacation =-.
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Such a great topic (and one I dont hear about often!) Thank you thank you katie for speaking about this, because I’m quite curious about all of this!
I was shocked when my doctor told me that parents have been sheltering their children so much that they are actually using TOO MUCH sun protection (wow, how the pendulum has swung!) She said that in a very sunny state like Texas (where we live) we need at least 15 minutes of unprotected sun exposure daily (of course, yes this includes walking across the parking lot of a store, or even sun exposure you can get through the window when indoors!)
With very very fair/pale skin I still need to be careful with my skin, but it was a good reminder that we do need exposure to the sun!
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I could have added to my extreme health makeover story that we do not use sunscreen/sunblock anymore. Prior to our eating healthy, I always used a sunblock or a sunscreen when out on the water. I still had to shelter them to keep them from getting burnt to bad. BUT, after our healthy eating changes, we never use any kind of sun protection. My girls have been outside from morning til supper on the beach during vacation and never got burnt. They will be tinted red at the end of the day but by morning they are brown. That was amazing to me. My husband notices that he never burns anymore, either. He can bale hay all day and never peel. WAPF has a great article in their Fall 2006 about this issue.
.-= Amy´s last blog ..Daybook – July 12- 2010 =-.
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I’m looking forward to the rest of your posts in this series. Of course I’ve been reading all of things about sunscreen, sun exposure, vit D, etc etc for a few years (particularly from the natural living perspective and now the TF/WAPF pov).
But being the daughter of a dermatologist, it’s hard for me to forget the regular reminder, “Sarah, you should wear sunscreen every day!” (And me more so than my siblings even, b/c I am the “fairest of them all” :wink wink:)
I also worked in my dad’s office for a couple of years after college and saw first hand the scores of people affected by sun damage (especially here in NC.) I’ve seen special UV photos of my face that show all the “hidden” sun damage. (yuck!) And when I asked my dad once about the fact that I had been reading about people needing to spend time in the sun in order to get Vit D he replied, “Yeah, we call them patients.”
But I find the anecdotes about people who don’t need sun protection b/c of their diet very interesting. I’ve also heard good rebuttals (from my dad) about some of the “research” claiming that sunscreens are bad for you.
So I feel really divided, but definitely proceeding with caution in this arena!
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I can’t wait for this series! We are huge sun advocates unless out for hours with no shade then we will use some natural sunblock. have fun!
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ok no time to read this all..but a food for thought. my husband was talking with his dad today. He’s a farmer. Ok he’s almost 90 now. he used to be a farmer. each summer they’d go out..get so dark that they’d peel off a layer. then they’d go out and repeat. 2 times every summer..for many years. i am sure one or two of the farmers got something but… did get me thinking…
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I eat a fairly healthy diet, but being a fair skinned redhead, 15 minutes out in the sun unprotected equals red skin. Any time longer and I have blisters. I have actually been hospitalized in the past (even as a child) for 2nd degree sunburn. My parents, in contrast never burn at all, nor does my husband. I am afraid of the effects of sunscreen, but even more afraid of any more episodes of 2nd degree burns on my body straight through my t-shirt. looking forward to reading part two…because this is something I think about often.
.-= Kimberly Eddy´s last blog ..50 Off! =-.
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I’ve always used sunscreen and sunblock interchangeably, but now I know there is a difference. Thanks for posting this!
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A word about commercial sunscreen/sunblock & SPF…
I worked in the interactive industry for many years, building web sites for companies including the pharma industry. I worked on the Coppertone.com website. We had medical writers on the team who were responsible for using material provided by Schering Plough as well as to research medical information to place on the site. All the information is reviewed by the company including their legal department for regulatory and compliance reasons.
A conversation between two writers on the team went like this:
“Isn’t anything over SPF 30 inneffective?”
“Yes, but the public doesn’t know that, they think the higher the number the more protection they get. So the company creates and sells these products because it’s what the public wants.”
On their web site, they claim “The higher the SPF, the greater the protection.”
The material they provided included a list of supposed “facts” that claimed we should wear sunscreen even when we are indoors. This never made it onto the site.
Regarding vitamin D, the site claims:
“It takes a very small amount of sun exposure usually achieved through normal daily activity to trigger the body to produce vitamin D. The rest of the time, it is important to use sunscreen in order to prevent skin cancer and other forms of skin damage. ”
What they don’t mention is that if you live in the latitudes North of Atlanta, the window of opportunity to be exposed to enough UVB is a lot smaller – not only because of the seasons, but also during the course of the day. It is precisely during the hours that they tell you to keep out of the sun that these UVB rays are present. On top of that, you need to expose larger areas of the body to sufficiently make vitamin D – just your hands and face won’t cut it.
It is also ironic that they should say it protects you against cancer, being that these products contain toxic chemicals that in the sun, heat up and become a toxic soup absorbed into your skin.
Here’s a great resource from the Environmental Working Group: http://bit.ly/gP8Ygs
By the way you can also protect against sunburn nutritionally, by reducing PUFAs in the diet and taking Astaxanthin (an antioxidant). I can tell you from personal experience as well that this works – as last year was the first time I made it through a trip to Miami Beach without burning, in spite of being on the beach for hours after my sunblock wore off. (FYI i was using zinc oxide).
If you want to read more about Vitamin D and health, check out http://bit.ly/f8M9bV.
Cheers,
Sandy
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Katie Reply:
December 2nd, 2010 at 12:34 am
Wow, Sandy, thank you so much for stumbling upon this post and commenting. (Ironically, on the first day of snowfall where I live!) This information is a gem!!
Thank you!! Katie
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Great article. I would note (and maybe you will on part 2) that titanium dioxide is not really safe in sunscreens. Yes, it’s natural, but it is photsensitive and causes DNA damage in the sun. Not something you want in a sunscreen.
Zinc oxide is really the only safe sunblock and it’s been used safely for hundreds of years.
And a sunburn…it’s DNA damage to the skin.
Also, you want to make sure the other ingredients are all natural…and preferably organic to make sure you aren’t exposing yourself to any other chemicals, GMOs, pesticides, or other unwanted ingredients.
If you are taking a high ORAC antioxidant you can help protect yourself from sunburn too. Healthy skin cells are less likely to burn and may heal faster if they do burn. We’ve had people who use our organic antioxidant powder find they burn much less frequently and heal so much faster if they do.
@Amy, if your kids are tinted red, they have burned. Sun exposure is good, but burning is not. And just because your husband isn’t peeling doesn’t mean he isn’t burning. Sunscreen/block is still recommended if you’re out in the sun for 2 hours or more, or less if you are fair skinned or live at high altitude (I’m both).
I use high quality mineral foundation if I’m going to be out less than 2 hours, then use sunscreen/block for 2 hours or more.
As for SPF, as Sandy said anything above 30 is a waste. SPF 30 blocks 98% of the suns rays. If you are using a higher SPF you are just getting more chemicals, not more protection. In effect, you are trading 1 cancer for another.
Can’t wait to read part 2!
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Katie Reply:
December 3rd, 2010 at 3:07 am
Danika,
I didn’t realize I hadn’t backlinked to this post – part two was up mid-summer, along with a huge natural sunscreen review.
Sources seemed so mixed on the titanium dioxide that I left it at pretty safe, although for myself, I always felt a little skeptical since zinc oxide is rated safe for a baby’s bottom, and titanium dioxide is not. Isn’t it odd that the EWG lists them opposite? I’m pretty sure TD has a lower hazard rating than ZO. ???
My husband just tested low for Vitamin D, so clearly I have much more to learn on this subject, especially in a Michigan winter!
Thanks so much for your additional information; I’m already formulating more comprehensive updates for next summer!
Katie
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Yes, the info on titanium dioxide being photosensitive is hard to find. But, I’m not taking any chances. My gut tells me within the next 5 years, that’s going to be the issue we’ll be reading about.
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I know this is an older link but I thought I would add my comment anyway… Vit D can be supplemented and your levels can be checked. People keep saying sunburn = damage but so is a tan. Tans are not healthy; they are skin damage. I don’t burn, I tan and I usually wear sunscreen but I ended up being diagnosed a year ago with stage 3 melanoma at age 32. It’s just not worth the risk… ending up scarred physically and mentally for the rest of your life. There is no cure and no reasonable treatments at this point unless caught very early. So vitamin is very good, I highly recommend it but get it through supplements as they do work very well.
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Katie Reply:
February 24th, 2011 at 12:27 am
Jess,
The Vit D tests are expensive, though, so make sure they’re covered by insurance before embarking on that.
Thank you for adding to this post. We now take fermented cod liver oil to help with our Vitamin D levels, especially since my hubby’s came back low this October.
Thanks! Katie
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