If you listen to The Beauty Bunch’s blogtalkradio show then you know that we have been talking about sunscreen, sunburn, UVA vs. UVB rays, chemical vs. natural ingredients etc., etc., etc. for the last several Fridays. If you don’t listen to the program, then shame on you! (You can just go to the blogtalkradio icon on the right side of the home page and click on play.) You will be able to listen to all of our past programs and hopefully you will get some great information and good laughs. Oops…sorry for the commercial, I digress…

For those of you that like your information in black and white I’m going to give you a quick summary of those “sun-inspired” programs.

1. The sun really is good for you if you don’t abuse it and don’t get sunburned. A slow gradual tan that doesn’t include the sunburn stage actually helps to protect the skin against melanoma. It also allows the body to produce Vitamin D which helps to promote good cholesterol levels, enhances muscle strength and keeps your bones strong and healthy, to name a few of its benefits. Just get 20 minutes of sunlight each day with no sunscreen on the body or at least not on the entire body.

2. Sunscreen must protect against both UVA and UVB rays in order to be effective. UVA rays are the rays that cause loss of tone and elasticity in the skin. That leads to wrinkles, which none of us want. Ingredients such as titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, Parasol 1789 and Mexoryl SX are the ingredients in your sunscreen that give you UVA protection.

3. There is much discussion that many of the chemicals in sunscreen have the ability to penetrate into the skin. Some say that the chemicals are “worse for you” than the damage that the sun can do. For a list of chemicals that some doctors and researchers feel are potentially dangerous go to www.productsMercola.com and click on the Summer Survival Kit picture. This will give you some great info on the sun, natural sunscreen ingredients, Vitamin D, etc.

4. The ingredient Mexoryl has recently been approved by the FDA for use in the United States. It is the #1 individual sunscreen ingredient in terms of protection from UVA rays. Because it protects against UVA rays it must be combined with other ingredients that protect against UVB. Unfortunately, the other ingredients that are mixed with the Mexoryl are often the above mentioned chemicals that some feel are not good for you.

L’Oreal has the patent for Mexoryl and markets two sunscreens that contain the ingredient. La Roche-Posay Anthelios XL Lait SPF 60 and Ombrelle Sunscreen Lotion are both considered top rated sunscreens. You can purchase them online and in some stores.

5. Listed on the website www.eregimens.com, are two widely available sunscreens that are said to be completely free of toxins or petrochemicals. They are Mexitan SPF 30 and Badger SPF 15. Both contain either zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. Neither of these ingredients has any ability to penetrate the skin and are therefore considered to have no adverse affects. Both sunscreens can be found on their company’s website and Badger sunscreen can also be purchased at the Vitamin Shoppe.

6. For information concerning skin care, makeup, sunscreen and other specific types of products go to www.cosmeticdatabase.com. It lists each product in respect to the “toxicity” of its ingredients. Each receives a rating of 1 to 10. The lower the score the less chance the product causes any adverse effects. (This is a really interesting web site!)

Ok, that’s it. Hope this helps as you get ready to tan this summer. The bottom line is to protect your skin against sunburn, know your ingredients and have a great summer!!