One of my favourite things to do is lie in the sun and soak up some rays. I swear I am part feline because my cats also just love to lie in the sun for hours. They stretch out so that every inch of their little furry bodies can catch the warmth;) I totally relate except for the furry bit! That's why a honeymoon in the Seychelles was RIGHT up my alley! I can just hear the murmurs about sunscreen, melanoma and wrinkles as I'm saying this...
I am fully aware of the sun's effect on skin. I have been an advocate of sunscreen for many, many years. Ask anyone who knows me. I've always been terrified of going into the sun without some kind of protection. Even in the Seychelles we had several bottles of sunscreen and I never lay in the sun without being covered, head to toe, in the stuff.
However, once I went organic and cut all chemicals out of my life, it got a little complicated. It didn't make sense to me to use an organic body lotion from head to toe, and then, straight after that, go and smear my body with chemicals in the form of sunscreen SEVERAL TIMES a day as I soaked up the sun. It terrifies me just how much damage I must have done to my body over the years, and NOT from too much sun, but from too much sunscreen!
I did some research and discovered just how bad conventional sunscreen actually is for you. If you read my blog on conventional beauty products you'll realise that these are products you don't want in your life AT ALL. Well, sunscreen is no different.
According to the EWG (Environmental Working Group), two-thirds of the sunscreens they analysed either offered inadequate protection, or contained ingredients that may be toxic. You know how I mentioned that your skin is like a big sponge? Well, that stuff doesn't just sit on top of your skin. It enters your bloodstream and sends all those toxins throughout your body. Here are just some of the ingredients you should be avoiding at all costs (Follow this link to find out about more chemicals to avoid):
- Retinyl Palmitate: You would think, as this is a Vitamin A derivative, that this would be good for us. It's very good for you in food form. Unfortunately, when this stuff is mixed in with sunscreen and exposed to the very hot rays of the sun, this ingredient actually ends up raising your risk of getting skin cancer. Avoid any sunscreens that tell you they contain Vitamin A or Retinol.
- Oxybenzone: This ingredient is meant to increase protection against dangerous UV rays. Also called methanone, 2-hydroxy 4 methoxydenzophenone and benzophenone-3, this stuff disrupts the human endocrine system and can negatively affect the cardiovascular system. It's a synthetic oestrogen and can disrupt the hormone system.
- Benzophenone-3 (B-3): This is a sunscreen preservative and UV ray deactivator that triggers DNA damage. What's really scary is that, two days after you've applied the sunscreen, it is still detectible in urine.
- Amino Benzoic Acid: Also known as para-aminobenzoic acid, PABA, Vitamin Bx or padimate O (a water-insoluble derivative), it's a UV filter in many, many sunscreen brands but research has found that it can amplify cellular damage.
- Insect repellant: if your sunscreen tries to sell itself to you by having a built in insect repellant, avoid it.
What's very scary is that the FDA will tell you that these ingredients are safe; proof that you can't believe everything that the powers-that-be tell you. Ultimately, the decisions rests in your hands. Do your research and know exactly what you are exposing yourself and your family to before you go ahead and trust them. They've been wrong MANY times before.
Here's an interesting mindbender: did you know that most people are actually suffering from a Vitamin D deficiency thanks to always wearing sunscreen? People are SO terrified of the sun these days. Let's face it, the doctors and scientists did their job well. We have all taken their warnings to heart and, because of that, we are all suffering from Vitamin D deficiencies. Your body actually needs about 20 minutes in the sun WITHOUT sunscreen, to produce Vitamin D. Ironically, a Vitamin D deficiency ALSO leads to cancer. Damned if you do, damned if you don't?
The reality is that the sun is not as scary as we have all been led to believe. I am NOT in any way downplaying the seriousness of skin cancer. But we can't blame the sun alone, for skin cancer. For starters, let your eyes wander back up to those ingredients that are so common in sunscreens. When we were in the Seychelles my body was PERMANENTLY covered in sunscreen because I spent all day, every day, lying in the sun. The only time it was free of sunscreen was after my evening shower. That meant that, for 12 days straight, I was bombarding my body with dangerous chemicals and allowing them access to my bloodstream day in and day out. That means days and days of free radicals having a party under my skin, while I THOUGHT I was doing what was best for me.
Let's move away from the sunscreen for a bit and consider every other beauty product I was also using during those 12 days. Between the body lotion, face cleanser, toner and moisturiser, deodorant, shampoo and conditioner, toothpaste, mouthwash, makeup and any other products I might have been using, that is a LOT of chemicals I was bombarding my body with JUST over those 12 days. In reality, I've been doing it every day of my life since my teenage years so that is about 20 years worth of chemical attack I have been putting my body through.
If you think about how long the sun has been around for, and how long cancer has been around for, it's not a stretch to consider that maybe there is more to skin cancer than just the sun's rays. People didn't have fancy sunscreens 100 years ago and yet cancer was so rare it almost never happened. Yes, there is a hole in the ozone layer... over Antarctica. While it's close-ish to us, it's not directly over our heads. Light travels in straight lines. It doesn't turn corners so I don't think that hole is affecting us directly although, no doubt, it can have devastating consequences where it's happening and, no doubt, it is affecting the general running of the planet.
But I digress. We are FAR more exposed to chemicals than we have ever been before. We are completely under-exposed to Vitamin D, to the point that people are having to take supplements. We live in South Africa where we have LOADS of sunlight so that shouldn't be happening, and yet it is. We are eating SO badly. Our diets are loaded with grains, and completely devoid of nourishing fats which mean we are effectively under-nourished, even though we are ballooning in terms of body fat. Even if we eat fruits and vegetables, they are so devoid of nutrition because they are grown in depleted soils which are ALSO loaded with chemicals. The meat we eat is loaded with hormones and antibiotics and, when we are sick, we load our bodies with yet MORE chemicals which makes it even weaker.
In all honesty, what defense are we actually giving our bodies against cancer? The answer is NOTHING. Our bodies are in a permanent state of sickness. Different levels of it, but sickness nonetheless. The sun is the last thing I'd blame for cancer. There are so many other possible culprits.
What's really interesting is that there seems to be a close link between diet and sun tolerance. Look at Mediterranean climates and people and their tolerance for the hot sun that they experience day in and day out. Then have a look at their diet. Loads of good, healthy fats, very few, if any, grains and no processed or refined foods. It's not just a coincidence. Have a look at this study.
I am fortunate to have a very healthy tolerance for the sun. Some of it possibly has to do with my Mauritian genes (My grandfather was Mauritian), some of it has to do with the fact that I allow my body time in the sun without sunscreen and so I have built up a resistance to it. But I guarantee that some of it is connected to my diet.
Here are some natural things you can do, and eat, to build up a resistance to sun damage:
- Lycopene - This is a rather famous carotenoid found in cooked tomatoes, tomato paste and tomato sauces, that has been shown in a recent study, to protect humans against sun damage. In this study, healthy women, aged between 21-47, who ate 55 g of tomato paste containing 16 mg of lycopene every day for 12 weeks experienced significant protection against acute sun damage. 55 grams of tomato paste has just over 3 tablespoons worth of lycopene! I honestly LOVE tomatoes and I am a self-confessed tomato sauce addict. Thank goodness Woolies has an organic one but I also love to make my own and I add cooked tomatoes to my daily salad as well. Incidentally, lycopene is also great for prostate cancer.
- Astaxanthin - This is a super-antioxidant which is found in algae and the things that eat algae, and the things that eat the things that eat algae;) Examples are salmon, shrimp and prawns. It is actually considered an “internal sunscreen.” According to studies, it definitely protects against UVA damage. In fact, tests found it to be more effective than retinol. Either way, unless you have a seafood allergy, it can't hurt to eat more of it!
- Vitamin D - Isn't it ironic that the vitamin we are all deficient in, Vitamin D, actually increases sun tolerance and protection against sun damage! Vitamin D offers reduced sunburn and less risk of tumor development. So, in actual fact, getting sun gives you vitamin D, which in turn protects you from too much sun. And yet we are stopping nature in its tracks.
- More Omega 3s and less Omega 6s - When your skin is in danger of damage from the sun, p53 expression is upregulated to protect it, and high p53 immunoreactivity can lead to melanoma. Omega 3s actually prevent that from happening and so protect you against cancer. We all get far too many omega 6s in our diet and they will have an adverse effect so try and cut down on them and up your dosage of fatty fish.
- Eat Saturated Fat - In tests done on mice, a diet high in saturated fat meant lower incidence of melanomas developing. If you’re gonna be out in the sun, and you don't eat them already, best you add some butter and coconut oil to your diet.
- Drink Tea - Green tea gives you a whole arsenal of protective antioxidants which protect your skin and inhibits the development of tumors by controlling inflammation and preventing DNA damage. Even applied topically it offers protection.
- Proanthocyanidins - Sounds complicated but you're probably already getting them in your diet via wine, grape seeds, blueberries, hazelnuts, pistachios, and grains like sorghum and barley. Grape seed extract is a powerful protector against UV damage.
- Resveratrol - This is found in red wine, cocoa and dark chocolate, peanuts and peanut butter, mulberries and blueberries. It has strong anti-cancer, cardioprotective, and lifespan enhancing qualities and it's also becoming known as a photoprotective agent protecting skin against UV damage.
All of these contain zinc oxide which is a great skin protector that doesn't get absorbed by the skin BUT it can tend to make your skin a little whiter. I can live with that personally. They work really well and they won't make us sick. I can look a little ghostly if it means I can avoid cancer. The lovely tan I have after I've washed it off is totally worth it!
Some things to look for when shopping for sunscreen:
- Look for titanium dioxide and zinc oxide based mineral sunscreens, which don't penetrate the skin.
- Choose sunscreens that are unscented or use essential oils for fragrance.
- Choose lotion based sunscreens with water resistance, NOT spray sunscreens. That just means you are breathing in toxins as well as absorbing them through your skin, and you always miss a few spots anyway...
- Choose broad spectrum sunscreens that protect against UVA and UVB rays
- Choose sunscreen products that are rated 0-2 in the Environmental Working Group’s Sunscreen Guide. A lot of them aren't local but have a look and see if you recognise one or two.
There are also certain oils that work very well as sunscreen if you are not basking for hours in the sun. They have a natural spf and are very good protection for the skin:
- Coconut oil
- Shea butter
- Jojoba oil, sunflower oil, or sesame oil
- Eucalyptus and lavender essential oils
- Vitamin E oil
That's it. Do your research carefully before choosing your sunscreen and consider giving your body some time to work its magic with Vitamin D for a bit of time each day. You'll feel so much better for it AND your body will begin to build up its own resistance to the sun which will mean less sunscreen anyway.
Happy tanning!
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