Sunscreens-What to do?

Since we are moving into summer, many of us are deciding what sunscreens to use, or whether to even use sunscreens at all. Are they safe? Do they play a part in causing cancer? What are we supposed to put on our children? Here is a little information that I have come across that might help to answer those questions.


I have been a sun worshiper my whole life. Of course back when I was growing up sunscreens hadn't been invented. I  never used sunscreens until after my children were born and  all the hype and commercials starting telling the general public that the sun was bad and we must guard ourselves and cover ourselves up so as to not expose our skin to these harmful ultra violent rays. So I started buying sunscreens because I was scared of what could happen if I didn't. But it never crossed my mind at that time that there could be chemicals in the sunscreens that could be hazardous to my health.

I began using sunscreens somewhere between 1980 and 1984, and from that point on I was never in the sun without them. I also became even more concerned about my face, so I bought the sunscreens especially made for your face-never checking out the ingredients.

In 2003, after 20 years of sunscreen use I was diagnosed with basil cell carcinoma on my face, a form of skin cancer. Thank goodness it was found out early and removed immediately. I had quite a chunk cut out of my face under my left eye, but the doctor did an amazing job and was able to go deep enough and scrape out all the cancerous cells. I was monitored for the next year and then was given a clean bill of health.

Do I believe that the sunscreens played a part in the skin cancer? Most definitely I do. After the surgery, I never used a sunscreen again on my face, and I began to do my own research on the effects of sunscreens. Here is some infromation that I have recently found out about the use of sunscreens.

According to the natural news the FDA has refused to publish safety standards for sunscreen products. So  non profit groups are having to get involved to inform the public. One of these groups is the Environmental Working Group that has compiled a list of 700 name brand sunscreens along with the toxic chemicals they contain, They report that many sunscreens contain cancer causing chemicals that get absorbed through the skin. The EWG reports that 84% of sunscreens are harmful to consumers. The link between sunscreens and cancer is due to the fact that sunscreens block UV rays which generate the anti-cancer nutrient vitamin D in human skin. Vitamin D is simply the worlds best anti-cancer medicine, and recent studies have shown that it can prevent nearly four out of five cancers in all women, including breast, cervical, lung, and skin cancer.

The EWG ground-breaking research is based on nearly 400 peer-reviewed studies of the 17 sunscreen chemicals approved for use in the US. Ironically some popular sunscreen chemicals break down when exposed to sunlight and must be formulated with stabilizing chemicals. Others penetrate the skin and present significant health concerns.

So what are we supposed to do?

The EWG has posted a list of sunscreens that they recommend:

Loving Naturals SPF 30+
Heiko Kids SPF 40
Goddess Garden Kids Natural SPF 30+
California Baby Sunblock SPF 30+ Stick No Fragrance (Their other products in this line did not have as good a rating.)

The following came in second to the above:

Badger Sunscreen face stick SPF 30
Soleo Organics All Natural SPF 30
Purple Prairie Botanical Sun SPF 30
UV Natural Baby Sunscreen SPF 30
Suntegrity Skincare All Natural Moisturizing Face Protection SPF30

I'm sure you noticed as I did that the major brands that you see in Target and Walmart are not among the ones that are listed!

The sun is not our enemy, in fact we need a little sun everyday to help our body produce vitamin D. And also the best sunscreen is internal sunscreen built from antioxidants, which include spirulina, chorella, and the superfoods that I have written about. These foods help you to build up a natural internal sunscreen that blocks excessive UV rays naturally.

 I could have given you a lot more facts about the harmful chemicals in sunscreens, but I think you get my point!! Don't just take my word for it, do your own research and come to your own conclusions. Check out http://www.naturalnews.com/  and type in sunscreens and www.ewg.org/sunscreen.

Until next time,

Jan