{"id":3957,"date":"2018-06-28T17:00:25","date_gmt":"2018-06-28T15:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/amazingy.com\/magazine\/?p=3957"},"modified":"2019-06-15T18:25:14","modified_gmt":"2019-06-15T16:25:14","slug":"sunscreen-uv-filters-nano-particles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/amazingy.com\/magazine\/sunscreen-uv-filters-nano-particles\/","title":{"rendered":"Let’s Talk: Sunscreen \u2014 What you should know about sun protection"},"content":{"rendered":"

If ever there was a difficult, controversial topic in cosmetics, it’s sunscreen.\u00a0At Amazingy, we get tons of questions about the subject\u00a0\u2014 and it’s always\u00a0the cause of much debate, so\u00a0I felt it was about time to write an article concerning everything I’ve learned\u00a0about this topic.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

I decided to avoid the guru-talk and home-kitchen-garden knowledge out there as much as possible. The reason: each source is\u00a0saying something different, which makes it very difficult to find out what is true and what is not. That’s why I chose to only go by as many scientifically proven reports as I could wrap my head around. (Needless to say, I wrote this article while having a caffeine + 85% dark chocolate induced-buzz most of the time.<\/em>)<\/p>\n

And as a last word of caution, I’d like to state that I am not a doctor or authority in this field;\u00a0 I’m just a person using common sense. If I learn that I’ve made mistakes regarding this topic, I will edit the article tout de suite\u00a0<\/em>(though what I’ve written is based on some of the more recent scientific research done on the subject).<\/p>\n

Don’t feel like reading\u00a0a lengthy\u00a0article? Simply scroll down for my advice & conclusion.<\/em><\/p>\n

Why do you need a broad spectrum sunscreen?<\/h2>\n

The ultraviolet radiation that can reach us here on the Earth’s surface has been categorized into two main types: UVA (320\u2013400 nm) & UVB (290\u2013320 nm). \u00a0An easy way of understanding the difference between the two is to think of UVA as a form of aging radiation, and UVB as a form of burning radiation.\u00a0Your exposure to UV radiation depends on multiple factors, such as your current location on the planet, the time of day\/year, and atmospheric conditions (e.g. clouds, smog, pollution). To give you a (hyper-<\/em>)specific example: if you\u2019re sipping on a juicy (shaken, not stirred<\/em>), alcohol-free (yeah, right!<\/em>) cocktail shortly after noon in the summer, on a quiet beach just on the outskirts of Barcelona, then the radiation mix would be about 94% UVA + 6% UVB.<\/p>\n

Note:\u00a0UVC rays do not reach the Earth\u2019s surface, as they are completely absorbed by the ozone layer. (At least for the time being…)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

UVB has been the traditional focus \u2014 “Stop the sunburn<\/em>,\u00a0and all is well.” Thus the famous sun protection factor<\/em> (SPF) was introduced as a score to describe the \u2018strength\u2019 of a product which could protect your skin against \u201csunburn\u201d, i.e. mainly UVB radiation. That’s a part of the reason why many sunscreens do not block UVA radiation well enough.<\/p>\n

This turns out to be a major issue, because even though UVA does not cause sunburn, it does cause damage to the skin without little to no visible symptoms. UVA causes the skin to age faster (Oh no, wrinkles! Get me my BB\/CC\/DD cream quickly, darling!<\/em>) and can increase the chance of developing skin conditions like melanoma\u00a0& photodermatitis. On top of that,\u00a0not only can UVA pass through\u00a0glass\u00a0\u2014 its rays penetrate the skin more deeply than those of UVB.<\/p>\n

Well, if you’ve ever looked like a boiled lobster after spending just a day in the sun, you’re probably well aware of the short-term effects that UVB can have on you. Short-term sunburn will usually cause slight redness, but it can also lead to medically dangerous situations. When dealing with long-term sun damage, however, the skin will show signs of both UVA & UVB damage. Degenerative changes include premature aging and skin damage, as well as fibrous tissue & circulatory changes; these are direct results from chronic exposure to the sun. And then there\u2019s that big “C-word” we are all worried about: cancer.\u00a0Both\u00a0UVA & UVB have been implicated as causes of cancer\u00a0\u2014\u00a0UV radiation is considered a carcinogen.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sunscreens marked ‘broad spectrum’, ‘multi-spectrum’ or ‘UVA\/UVB protection’ usually contain UVA-blocking ingredients, including but not limited to: stabilized avobenzone<\/em>, ecamsule<\/em>, oxybenzone<\/em>, titanium dioxide<\/em>, and zinc oxide<\/em>.<\/p>\n

What’s SPF got to do with it?<\/h3>\n

The SPF score of a sunscreen signifies its level of protection against UVB: SPF-15 filters out about 93% of incoming UVB rays; SPF-30 already blocks 97% of UVB; and SPF-50 only blocks one percent more, 98%. It\u2019s actually so misleading for consumers that the EU has banned any labels over SPF-50\u00a0\u2014<\/b> and in the US, the FDA is attempting to finalize this long overdue limitation.\u00a0The EU has also banned labeling claims such as ‘total protection’, ‘100% protection’, ‘sunblock’ <\/em>and ‘all-day prevention’<\/em>\u00a0on any marketing information associated with sunscreen & sun protection products.<\/p>\n

My advice:<\/strong> SPF-15 is a good start since it blocks 93% of UVB. On sunny days or days when you are outside for a longer period of time, the step up to SPF-30 is worth it. Anything over SPF-50 doesn’t provide enough extra protection to really merit purchasing:<\/p>\n