When I was younger and lived in California, Texas and Hawaii, I used some sunscreen but most often the highest available was SPF 15. I wonder as the years go by whether I'll pay for this eventually.
Anyhow, I read this article with some interest... it is quite an overwhelming list of things "recommended" to help protect against the harmful rays from the sun.
This is what got to me the most as I really dislike the feel of many creams or lotion on my skin:
THREE layers of goo?!
Good grief!
I've worked with lots of different sunscreen and cosmetic products in a development lab. I'd be reluctant to layer anything with anything, with the risk that some chemical from one layer reacts with another chemical from another layer, and your sunscreen fails and you end up fried...
We Aussies reckon we have a fairly good idea about sun...and being 'sun smart'...and the source for public info is the cancer council...a non profit organisation...
http://www.cancer.org.au/cancersmart...e/SunSmart.htm
Hope that reassures you...
Some slogans include - 'between 11 and 3, sit under a tree' and 'slip, slop, slap and wrap' - slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen, slap on a hat, and wrap on some sunglasses...
it is pretty good for switzerland (was not expensive)
If you are slathering that many chemicals on your body, then you will have worse problems than the slightly increased risk of skin problems due to a little sun exposure. Don't forget that all of the things that are recommended are actually chemicals and they have their own interactions with your body and environment as well as most of the intermediate breakdown products of most sunscreens are actually carcinogenic.
However if you are looking for a fairly non-toxic and very effective sunblock that stays on in water and sweat then try BullFrog brand. I have found it to be very effective, doesn't have a lot of volatile compounds in it, doesn't feel sticky and smells completely neutral. This also means that if you smear it into a mucous membrane like the nose, eyes, etc. it doesn't tend to be painful. Works very well and lasts all day, excepting physical abrasion.
On a different note was saddened to read this article - Surely common sense wasn't on the agenda!
for example the sun in Australia is 2X brighter and more intense in Europe
so a SPF50 in Europe would not be a SPF in Australia
and seems like some countries have SPF rating "caps" in place
some (hopefully) helpful info from wikipedia on sunscreen :
THAT keeps me away from ever spreading this stuff on my skin ever again!!
WTF? There is a US based website with all the safe vs unsafe sunscreens listed. I was wondering if there was some info on which brands we should and shouldn't buy here based on the vitamin A problem mentioned in the article.
BTW, I just wanted to give the following advice.
Read the article in the previous post...
Oxybenzone is kind of obvious. I mean chemicals with this sort of name just don't even sound safe with regard to intermediate breakdown products and general carcinogenicity.
Retinyl palmitate is a fancy name for Vitamin A. I googled it and turns out it is in a very large number of products you are supposed to put on your skin. Yet, it seems to have many side effects. Most of them bad. The list includes, 20% increased likelihood of skin cancer, birth defect, etc.
Nice.
Just want to ask the question again. Does anyone happen to know which brands are safe here in Switzerland? Otherwise it looks like I'll need to spend quite a bit of time reading labels at the pharmacy (and hoping I can decipher the scientific jargon).
After years of living in tropical countries and spending lots of time in the sun, I wish that I would have followed the advice to protect my skin from the sun from an early age. Sun exposure is cumulative. My dermatologist used the analogy of a bucket – once your bucket is full, or once your body has had a certain amount of exposure, chances are that you will have skin problems. There isn’t any going back and undoing the damage.
My dermatologist also said that many Swiss people get skin cancer because they quite often vacation in tropical countries and bake in the sun for two weeks. They also do lots of outdoor sports.
My dermatologist’s advice, which I follow:
Use sun protection on your face every day. For me, she recommends La Roche-Posay 50+ Anthelios XL. They also make one that is 30SPF.
Protect yourself with clothes. If I know that I’m going to be in the sun, I wear a long sleeve shirt now. Yes, it’s summer and I would really like to wear sleeveless shirts, but I save those for when I know that I won’t be exposing my skin to the sun. Some clothing companies (Columbia) make UV resistant clothing for hiking, etc.
See a dermatologist if you notice a suspicious growth on your skin. The latest advice for looking at your skin is that if you see an “ugly duckling” mole , or one that doesn’t look like the rest of your moles, have it looked at by a professional.
O.K. I'll get down off my soapbox now, but not before saying, "Please protect your skin! A lovely tan in the summer really isn't worth the angst that you may go through in later years."
The issue for the medical establishment is that there is not fixed milestone at which damage is problematic. Some people are less prone to genetic damage problems and others are more prone to said damage.
I thought it was also because quite a lot of CH country tends to be at higher altitude and there is less protective atmosphere than at lower altitudes.
Plus, if the air is cooler one tends to ignore the burning effects in the short term.
At least this is true for me.
When I went to India I was able to buy natural fiber long sleeve shirts like the locals wear that are very comfortable and stylish. They are good for blocking the sun and yet are not uncomfortable and breathe well, even when wet from rain or damp from sweat. Plus, light colors reflect the suns heat and I end up being more comfortable.