Are conventional sunscreens really protecting your skin?

The sun, the fine sand and the sea represent the ideal escape especially with the end of lockdown! Sunbathing even in your backyard should not make you forget certain realities. Indeed, the sun must be taken with care and it is essential to know certain details so as not to end up with skin cancer. Unfortunately, every year, 2 to 3 million people are diagnosed with it. So how do you protect yourself effectively?

The skin has a natural protection time against the sun of 10 minutes for very white skin and around 60 minutes for very black skin. Beyond these times, you must protect your skin with sunscreen. Follow our advice to make conscious and safe purchases for your health.

1. From the spring, black or white skin should gradually be exposed to sunbathing. Thus, it has time to develop its natural defense mechanisms against UVA and UVB rays.

2. Why should conventional sun protection be avoided? In the ideal world, skincare should protect the skin from UVA and UVB rays and care for it. But understand that conventional sunscreens are nothing more than conventional creams with added chemical and toxic filters.

CHEMICAL MOISTURIZING CREAM + CHEMICAL SUN FILTER = TOXIC SUN PROTECTION CREAM

If you are about to buy your conventional sunscreen, have this information in mind and avoid the following ingredients. They are suspected of being endocrine disruptors, carcinogens and/or very toxic:

• Octocrylene
• Triethanolamine
• Hexyl benzoate
• Ethylhexyl salicylate
• Ethylhexyl Methoxyciannamate
• Disodium EDTA
• Dimethicone
• Phenylbenzimidazole
• Chlorphenesin
• …

Read our article: How to avoid endocrine disruptors?

3. Instead, look for natural sunscreens that contain mineral UV filters like zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide . The treatment should also contain organic vegetable oils for the extra care. You should choose them because they do not cause side effects like chemical filters and are not polluting. You will find them in the organic skincare shops in your neighborhood (a little search on Google).

4. The exposure time. Sunscreen should be applied regularly for the specified exposure time to be effective. Remember to program your phone. Attention, the exposure time written on the product must be respected. Indeed, reapplying sunscreen does not lengthen the duration of exposure to the sun. For example, if the product indicates a protection of 2 hours then after this time, you should no longer expose yourself to the sun. You will no longer be protected!

5. Which protection index to choose? Sunscreens range from 15 to 50+. We tend to think that the higher the index, the greater the protection. This is not so true because we tend to underestimate the 15-20 index and overestimate the 50+ index. For example, UVB protection is 93.3% for an index of 15 and 97.5% for an index of 40.

See it rather as a marketing approach to make you buy more expensive care that does not provide 2 or 3 times greater protection.

Understand that a protection index greater than 20 is not very useful according to Professor Eckard Breitbart, director of the Buxtehude dermatology center.

6. For children and babies. Their skin is so fragile and their time of exposure to the sun will have to be shortened as much as possible. Make them wear hats, clothes with natural fibers such as linen or cotton, and light colors (avoid all dark colors). The purchase of natural protection is even more obvious for them because their skin does not yet have a hydrolipidic film.

7. In the evening, consider applying an after-sun to soothe heatstroke skin, such as organic shea body butter. Your skin will be soothed and deeply repaired.

In conclusion, the joy of the sun should not put your health or that of your family at risk. Protect yourself regardless of your skin color to protect it from sunburn, spots and premature aging. Natural skincare retains its good effects without leaving white cast on the skin. Many improvements have been made to satisfy customers. Above all, take the time to limit the time of exposure to the sun. Believing that you are protected when you are no longer protected brings its share of inconveniences.

Tell us if you are going to buy a natural sunscreen now?

Take care of yourself,

Dado