Do sunscreens really protect you against skin cancer?

Now that summer is upon us, warnings are everywhere telling people to “Avoid direct sunlight!” and “Don’t go outside without sunscreen!”

So, many people dutifully slather themselves up before they dare set foot outside.

But is the sun really the evil, skin-cancer-creating monster it’s been made out to be?  And are sunscreens all they’re cracked up to be?

I have some doubts, and here’s why you should too:

History speaks for itself
Sunscreen was first brought to market in 1936, introduced by the founder of L'Oreal cosmetics, French chemist Eugène Schueller.

So it only follows that prior to 1936, people were keeling over in massive numbers from skin cancer, right?

Not exactly.

And what’s, even more, concerning is the fact that even though we are using more sunscreen than ever before in our existence, our rates of skin cancer still continue to rise!

It’s not cut and dry
The whole skin cancer issue is not cut and dry, and many people are misinformed about a number of things.

First of all, there are three types of skin cancer—basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma (which are rarely fatal) and melanoma (which is the deadliest).  Most skin cancer cases involve basal and squamous cell carcinomas.

Basal and squamous cell cancers are strongly related to UV exposure over a period of years.  Studies have shown that some sunscreens do help lower the risk of squamous cell carcinoma, but not necessarily basal cell carcinoma.

Melanoma, on the other hand, is associated with sunburn, especially sunburns you get early in life.  But interestingly, melanoma often appears on areas of the body that rarely are exposed to the sun—so the puzzle Is missing a few pieces.

Plus studies have not conclusively determined that sunscreen protects you against melanoma.  Some studies suggest a positive outcome, some show no difference, and even others have shown an increased risk of melanoma with sunscreen use!

The dark side of shunning the sun
Shunning the sun does have a dark side (no pun intended)—because your body needs UV light exposure from the sun to make vitamin D.

Vitamin D protects you against cancer, so in effect by avoiding the sun because you’re scared of skin cancer, you’re actually raising your risk of other cancers!

All sunscreens are not created equal
This is arguably the most important point of all.  Many sunscreens are not only not completely effective, but up to 75 percent of them are downright toxic!

First of all, a product needs to shield you from both UVA and UVB radiation, as both of these can increase your skin cancer risk with overexposure.  But many sunscreens only protect against UVB rays, which are the rays that your body uses to make vitamin D.

So you’re getting only half the protection yet at the same time are shutting down your body’s vitamin D production!

And many commercial sunscreens are loaded with these toxic ingredients and should be avoided at all cost:

• Para amino benzoic acid
• Octyl salicyclate
• Oxybenzone
• Cinoxate
• Dioxybenzone
• Phenylbenzimidazole
• Homosalate
• Menthyl anthranilate
• Octocrylene
• Methoxycinnamate
• Parabens

A smart approach
Clearly, completely shunning the sun is not necessarily in your best interest, nor is slathering potentially toxic sunscreen on your skin or thinking you have free reign to roast yourself like a turkey because you have sunscreen on!

Here is a smart approach to getting healthier sun exposure and still protecting yourself:

Take care of your skin from the inside out!  
This means eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, drinking plenty of water, getting enough omega-3 essential fatty acids (fish oil formulas like VitalMega-3 can help) and getting enough protective antioxidants, vitamin B3 and vitamin D.  Super Core has health-supporting levels of all of these, plus many more vitamins, minerals, and anti-inflammatories.

Get 20-30 minutes of unprotected sun exposure each day
This will help allow your skin to naturally produce vitamin D as it was designed to.

Protect for longer exposure
If you stay in the sun for longer than 30 minutes, it’s time to protect yourself.  Options include wearing light clothing, sitting under an umbrella, or wearing a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses.

As far as sunscreens go, be sure to choose “broad protection” (UVA and UVB) mineral-based varieties that do not contain the harmful ingredients listed above.  I use Badger® SPF15 but there are many great brands out there including True Natural®, Kiss My Face® and Bare Belly Organics®.

Never, EVER get a sunburn
If you see your skin going from a healthy light pink or tan to red, get out of the sun immediately and put some aloe vera and/or vitamin E gel on your skin.

Enjoy the sun the way you’re supposed to—safely and healthfully!

To your health,

Sherry Brescia

The key to shiny hair and soft, glowing skin

The beauty industry is big business, and while many of the hair and skin products out there are very helpful, in order to look your absolute best, you need to take care of the inside of you too!

If you’re not pampering your skin and hair from the inside, there is no way it will look as good as it can, and you’re quite possible undoing the helpful effects of any beauty products you do buy!

Let’s start by looking at some…

Fun skin and hair facts


Your skin
Your skin accounts for about 7 percent of your body-weight and varies in thickness from about 4/100 to 16/100 of an inch. 

If you were to "slip out of it" and lay it flat on the ground, it would cover about 21 square feet--the size of a twin bed mattress!

Even though it's thin, your skin is made up of three layers.

The top one is the epidermis, which is your main protective shield.  Your nails are also part of your epidermis, so when we’re talking about skin health, that also includes your nails!

The next layer down is the dermis.  New skin cells are born in the dermis and migrate up to the epidermis, plus your oil and sweat glands live in the dermis too.

The boundaries between the epidermis and dermis are not always smooth. For example, in your fingertips these boundaries are studded with bumps and ridges--this is how your fingerprints are created.  

Your innermost skin layer--the subcutaneous layer--is below the dermis and binds your skin to your tissues and bone.  It’s also where your fat cells reside.

Your hair
The average full adult head of hair has about 100,000 hairs on the scalp, and each hair lives about 4 years before it falls out. 

The roots of your hair lie in the dermis (middle) layer of the skin, but the pits from where your hair grows (the follicles) are in the epidermis (outer layer).

The visible part of your hair is called the shaft, and shafts come in 3 styles:

- Round shafts produce straight hair.
- Oval shafts produce wavy hair.
- Shafts that are flat like ribbons produce tight, curly hair.

Your hair color comes from color-producing cells called melanocytes at the base of the hair follicles.  These melanocytes secrete a blend of colors (yellow, red, brown and black) which becomes your hair color. 

Alas, these melanocytes die off as we age...and without them, our hair turns gray or white. 

Makes yours shine and glow!
Here are some very effective ways you can help create smooth, soft skin and shiny, lustrous hair from within:

Nourish them
Having a healthy diet of nutritious foods is step one.  If you put trash inside of you, trust me, the outside of you will look like garbage too.

Although all vitamins and minerals are important in their own way, the superstars for healthy skin and hair are:

• Biotin
• Vitamin D
• Vitamin B6
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin E
• Zinc

If you want to make sure you have those important nutrient bases covered,Super Core multi-vitamin formula is just what you need!  And at its new LOW PRICE of $24.97, now is the time to put it to work for your skin and hair health.

Get enough Omega-3 essential fatty acids
You need good levels of Omega-3 essential fatty acids to maintain healthy cell membranes--and that includes hair and skin cells!

In addition to eating more fatty fish (like wild salmon) VitalMega-3 fish oil formula can help support your body’s Omega-3 EFA needs.

Drink enough water
Water provides natural moisture and carries needed nutrients to your skin and hair, and it sweeps away waste products, both of which in turn help keep your skin smooth and clear.

A good place to start is to drink at least eight 8-oz. glasses of water a day, preferably filtered.

An easy way to tell if you're drinking enough water is to look in the toilet bowl.  Your urine should be relatively clear and very light yellow.  If it's opaque and dark yellow (at any time other than first thing in the morning), chances are excellent you need more water.   

Get your thyroid tested
Dry skin, hair loss and brittle nails are all signs of low-functioning thyroid (hypothyroidism).  See your doctor if you suspect this is an issue for you.

Quit smoking
This should be obvious—if you smoke, QUIT.

Nothing will destroy your skin and hair (as well as age you) faster than smoking.
 
If you want your hair and skin to look their very best, in addition to taking care of them on the outside, take care of them from the inside too!

I bet you’ll see a difference very soon.