Chemical Or Organic? Choose Your Sunscreen

Use sunscreen ‘even when the sun is not shinning’? Perhaps Yes. The harmful Ultraviolet rays – that support skin tanning and are also a prime cause of raised skin cancerdefine risk- are strong throughout the day, even in scarce sunshine, warn experts.

Sunburn, often thought to the guiding term to monitor excess UV exposure, is actually not so. If you are still fortunate enough to escape sunburns, it doesn’t completely suggest that you aren’t getting high amounts of UV exposure, suggest researchers.

"We don't really how much radiationdefine is safe to get." However, getting outside without sunscreen for 10 to 15 minutes in the midday sun three times a week “is adequate to maintain healthful vitamin D levels and is probably safe,” says Henry Lim, chairman of the department of dermatology at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

Use a sunscreen that has a ‘sun protection formula (SPF) of at least 15 on the days when the sun is not shinning as bright, while an SPF 30 is needed when one is out in the open for extended periods of time, experts suggest.

Moreover, re-apply sunscreens every two hours, even if your product claims to provide day long protection.

The Sunscreen Controversy

Besides the apparent benefits of using sunscreens, the sunscreen’s efficacy debate continues. Though there is scientific evidence that suggests that application of sunscreen provides protection against tumor development in photo-carcinogenicity tests in mice, the chemical components used in these sunscreens are at times themselves the cause that triggers skin tumors in humans.

So, if you are the one who is susceptible to developing allergic reactions after using sun blocks, try going in for more natural, ‘organic’ brands.

Unlike the typical sunscreens based on chemical ingredients that absorb the sun’s rays, the natural ‘organic brands use minerals usually titanium dioxide or zinc oxide. As these minerals remain on the surface of the skin, they rather reflect the rays, than absorbing them.

Adding more to them, they ditch synthetic ingredients and use skin-friendly plant extracts and essential oils, offering complete skin comfort besides skin protection.