Are you suffering from sun-safety whiplash? It looks like this: Youâre super woke about skin cancer (and accelerated skin aging) thanks to pretty much everyone ever telling you about the dangers of sun exposure. And they arenât wrong. Studies suggest that most melanoma cases are caused, at least in part, by overexposure to sunlight. But lately youâve heard rumors about the dangers of conventional sunscreensâthat they are hard on the environment, that they mess with your endocrine system, that they might not protect against skin cancer as effectively as they should⌠and that, at the same time, they may have carcinogenic properties of their own. Oh, yeah, and some of the ingredients in conventional sunscreens may be neurotoxins. Then thereâs the debate about sunscreen and low-levels of vitamin D. Some experts have suggested that the âalways use sunscreen!â advice is preventing us from converting sunlight into vitamin D, which we need for optimal hormonal health, and especially for optimal fertility? Itâs enough to make you want to hide out in a windowless room until science sorts it all out. But there are ways to have a fun day at the beach, get some vitamin D, and protect yourself against skin damage... without damaging your hormones. Hereâs how to keep your skin AND your hormones happy while you navigate the sun safety conundrum.
The active ingredients in most sunscreens have been linked to imbalanced hormones, premature birth, increased risk for breast, ovarian and prostate cancer, and disruption of normal endocrine function. One popular active ingredient, oxybenzone, has been shown to harm fish and damage coral reefsâin addition to human healthâall while experts have raised serious doubts about the skin cancer-prevention benefits of sunscreen that contains oxybenzone.In high concentrations, ingredients like oxybenzone can have neurotoxic effects. While the concentrations of oxybenzone that have been studied and linked to health dangers are higher than what is normally found in human tissue or the environment, thatâs hardly reassuring data. Whatâs more, the effects of repeated, long-term, and low-dose exposures to the chemicals in sunscreens havenât been properly studied. We donât know what using these products everyday, as weâre often instructed to do, will do to our bodies.Meanwhile, concerns have cropped up that sunscreens might not be as effective at protecting against skin cancer as once thought, and studies have shown that most sunscreen users donât apply enough, reducing the productâs effectiveness to one quarter of what is promised on the bottle. So whatâs a person to do? There are safer sunscreens on the marketâand there are other ways to be sun safe, while still getting your vitamin D.
Exposure to sunlight prompts the body to make vitamin D, but sunscreen effectively stops this process. So many experts recommend five to 10 minutes of sunscreen-free sun exposure everyday. This can help you make vitamin D naturally, but I recommend avoiding the brightest hours (from 11:00am-ish to 3:00pm-ish) when youâre skipping sunscreen. And if youâre worried about accelerated skin aging, leave your legs or arms exposed for 10 to 15 minutes instead of your face and neck.
But many of us live in climates whereâeven if you go outside for a few minutes each day without sunscreenâthe sunâs rays arenât direct enough in winter to trigger vitamin D synthesis. If you live anywhere north of, say, Missouri, the sunlight is too indirect during the winter months for our bodies to make this important vitamin, which acts like a master hormone in the body. From roughly October to April, weâre cut off from our main source of vitamin D. And thereâs worse news: Even direct sunshine all year round isnât a guarantee. Studies suggest that populations who live close to the equator, where the sun is high in the sky 365 days a year, also donât make enough vitamin D. For complicated and largely unknown reasons, vitamin D deficiency is a global phenomenon.For this reason, I recommend that women take a high-quality vitamin D supplement. Vitamin D is important for hormone balance, fertility, mood, energy, and so much more. If vitamin D is low, as it is for so many of us, it can nearly impossible to move the needle on period and fertility problems and other symptoms.
If you want to protect your hormones from the endocrine-disrupting chemicals in certain sunscreens, you have a marvelous ally on your side: the Environmental Working Group (EWG).EWG is a non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to protecting human health and the environment. The group conducts research and disseminates information on an array of commercially available products, from shampoos to lipstick toâyesâsunscreens. (In fact, I recommend that women run ALL their health and beauty products through the EWGâs fantastic Skin Deep database, which catalogues the health and safety of just about every product on the market.)Every year, the EWG publishes a guide to sunscreens. You can check out the 2019 Sunscreen Guide here. The Guide allows you to search sunscreens by brand (so you can check on the safety of products you already own); look up the safest-ranking products; and get information about potentially dangerous ingredients.
Meanwhile, here is some of my top sun safety advice, including a few of my favorite sunscreens:
âConsider avoiding sunscreens with oxybenzone. Officially, there is âinsufficient dataâ on the safety of oxybenzone, but concerns have been raised about endocrine disruption and systemic toxicity when it comes to this commonly used compound. (Oxybenzone is found in roughly two-thirds of commercially available sunscreens). I recommend skipping products that include oxybenzone until scientists know more. Why risk it when it comes to hormone health?
âHigher SPF doesnât always mean more sun protection. Itâs tempting to grab a sunscreen with the highest SPF you can find, but research suggests that SPFs over 50 confer no more benefit than SPF 50 sunscreens. In fact, its been shown that very high SPF products can be more dangerous than lower SPF products because they confer a false sense of safety. People tend to think Oh, this is SPF 75! I donât need to reapply all day! Or A little goes a long way!, when really these products function on par with SPF 50 products and have the same re-application instructions.
âRemember physical barriers. Itâs easy to forget that age-old things like sitting in the shade, wearing a hat and long sleeves, and planning around the sunâs peak hours act as naturalâand 100-percent safe!âsun protection. Use these sun-safety strategies FIRST every time youâre headed outdoors.
âMy favorite sunscreens. There are many clean, mineral sunscreens on the market. Just be sure to read labels closely and opt for mineral sunscreens that use titanium dioxide and zinc oxide as active ingredients. Both titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are âgenerally recognized as safe and effective.â But before you buy, check a productâs safety on the EWG database.
âCoola: This brand is mineral-based and has some excellent and versatile varieties, including beach and sport, baby, and a really silky tinted version for your face.
âMyChelle: This brand also make a niceâand very cleanâtinted face cream with SPF 50.
âSupergoop! Makes a line of clean products for adults and kids.
âBadger: These sunscreens can go on a touch thick, but they couldnât be cleaner.
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Read In the FloAlisha A Â / Â 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
Alisha A Â / Â 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
âMyFLO has been a true game changer for me and my cycle. I now have an increased awareness of my body's needs throughout the month.â
Alisha A Â / Â 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
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Alisha A Â / Â 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
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Alisha A Â / Â 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
Alisha A Â / Â 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
Alisha A Â / Â 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
Alisha A Â / Â 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
Boost micronutrient levels
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Alisha A Â / Â 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
"My period was missing for 3 years after getting off birth control. MonthlyFLO helped me finally get my period back.â
Alisha A Â / Â 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
I feel more empowered to understand my body and heal my hormones. I no longer accept the patriarchal dismissal and confusion about the female cycleâ
Alisha A Â / Â 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
Alisha A Â / Â 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
Alisha A Â / Â 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
Alisha A Â / Â 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
Alisha A Â / Â 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
Alisha A Â / Â 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
Alisha A Â / Â 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
Alisha A Â / Â 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
Alisha A Â / Â 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
Alisha A Â / Â 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
âI got my period back after 15 years! Thank all of you for your support. I'm just so grateful!â
Alisha A Â / Â 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
âFLO Living has seriously changed my life. It gave me the courage and bravery to get off of birth control, and completely changed my outlook on health. I look and feel better than I ever have in my lifeâ
Alisha A Â / Â 46 years old
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Alisha A Â / Â 46 years old
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Alisha A Â / Â 46 years old
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Alisha A Â / Â 46 years old
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Detox estrogen
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Alisha A Â / Â 46 years old
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Manage blood sugar
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Restore ovulation
Alisha A Â / Â 46 years old
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Micronutrients to boost egg quality
Reduce inflammation
Alisha A Â / Â 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
Stabilize blood sugar
Detox chemical stress
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Alisha A Â / Â 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
Micronutrients to boost egg quality
Reduce inflammation
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Alisha A Â / Â 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
Implement Cycle Syncing ÂŽ
Detox chemical stress
Boost micronutrient levels
Alisha A Â / Â 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
Manage blood sugar
Detox estrogen
Boost progesterone production
Alisha A Â / Â 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
Stabilize blood sugar
Reduce stress
Boost energy
Alisha A Â / Â 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
Cycle SyncingÂŽ Food & Workouts
Stabilize blood sugar
Restore Micronutrients
Alisha A Â / Â 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
Cycle SyncingÂŽ Food & Workouts
Boost progesterone production
Support estrogen elimination
Alisha A Â / Â 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
Cycle SyncingÂŽ Food & Workouts
Micronutrients to boost egg quality
Reduce inflammation
Alisha A Â / Â 46 years old
Flo Care Plan
Cycle SyncingÂŽ Food & Workouts
Boost progesterone production
Increase micronutrient levels