Do you have a sun baby?

I certainly do.. My daughter is bugging to go outside before breakfast sometimes. Unfortunately before breakfast or later in the day are the only times it is really safe to be out in the Sun. For years we have been brain washed into thinking that that if we are going to be out in the sun then to protect ourselves but are we really doing that or are we just thinking we are safe because we slather on the Sunblock?

Sunscreen is a product that most people take for granted because we assume that we should use it to prevent getting sunburned or even worse skin cancer. We especially think it’s important to use it on our children to protect their delicate skin from painful burns… so one would think overall that sunscreen products are good, right? Unfortunately we have all been duped into believing this myth. If you read the ingredients on a variety of baby sun block products, you will be overwhelmed with a list of chemicals. And when you try and figure out what is considered safe vs. what is not you will be very confused. I know sometimes it’s easy to take our skin for granted but when it comes to our children we have to stop and think, “Hey…is this stuff safe or what??” Children do not know what is good for them so it is up to us to protect them as parents so I would like to share with you what I discovered about the safety of sun protection.

During the daunting task of research, I read article after article, trying tirelessly to weed through all the sometimes helpful but usually confusing mess. See here’s the dilemma, we need to block the harmful rays from damaging our skin, but we also need to use a variety of chemicals that are not considered safe to do an entirely effective job.

According to the Environmental research group, the bad news is there is no clear cut solution to the problem. As I mentioned in order to protect against all of the harmful rays there needs to be a combination of ingredients used to be 100% effective. But in order to protect yourself fully you will be exposing yourself to some toxic ingredients. Choose your poison wisely! The same ingredients that protect you from the sun may also have adverse side effects because some of the chemicals are able to enter our bloodstream through topical use and over time have hazardous effects disrupt normal hormonal functions on the body. Makes you want to slather some on right now doesn’t it?

Common sunscreen ingredients that are suspected or known carcinogens and/or hormone disrupters, include diethanolamine, triethanolamine (DEA, TEA), padimate-o, octyl dimethyl PABA, benzophenone, oxybenzone, homosalate, octyl-methoxycinnamate (octinoxate), salicylates, and parabens.

Studies suggest that because many of the popular sunscreens contain these radical generating properties, that they could contribute to cancer or interfere with normal development and may cause reproductive problems in developing children.

Many popular sunscreens contain the chemical ingredient Benzophenone (Benzophenone-3 or Oxybenzone) since it is one of the best of the chemical sunscreens in protecting against both UVA and UVB rays. However, sunscreens containing these chemicals are NOT a good choice because Benzophenone is a powerful free radical generator activated by ultraviolet light. These free radicals could initiate a reaction that may ultimately lead to melanoma and other skin cancers. So in this case protection from the sun is worse than sun damage. It’s sad that we have to choose to damage our skin as apposed to exposing it to such harmful chemicals but that is the choice in this case.

Sun products that contain triethanolamine (TEA) are also considered dangerous. When combined with nitrite which is a type of preservative it can possibly cause the formation of cancer-causing nitrosamines. BUT the catch is that Nitrites are not disclosed on cosmetic labels so there’s no way of telling which products are contaminated with nitrosamines. What is most harmful about this ingredient is that supposedly up to 35 % of it can enter the bloodstream. These are just a few examples of the harmful potential of above ingredients.

In my mind it only makes sense to use the most natural ingredients possible when we have to compromise between two important issues.

One ingredient that is considered safe is Zinc Oxide. Zinc Oxide is a mineral that provides complete UVB/UVA protection and is FDA approved for children under 6 months of age. The reason it is considered safe is that it does a great job of blocking the sun as it provides a layer of protection on the top of the skin. It is important to note that even though you may read zinc oxide listed as an ingredient it does not mean that it is safe when combined with any of the above harmful ingredients. And I found that trying to find plain zinc oxide is not an easy task. The reason is that pure zinc oxide leaves a strong white residue on the skin which is unfavorable to some and so makers of sun block products have determined that it won’t sell in that form. Instead they took a safe ingredient and broke it down into nano-sized particles so as to prevent the white residue look. The smaller sized particles would absorb into the skin faster without leaving behind the white residue which sounds great but there is major concern about the toxicity of the nano-particles because a large percentage can be absorbed into the skin and get into the bloodstream. Unfortunately there is no clear cut solution to the problem.

So what can you take from all this? Use caution when applying sun block or sunscreen products to you and your children’s skin. It is wise to try and stay out of the sun between the 11am and 4pm when the suns rays are most harmful if possible. Sun block is not usually necessary before 10am and after 5pm. If you will be out in the sun for long periods of time, try to use a zinc oxide sunscreen that is not made in the form of nano-particles. Some exposure to the sun is healthy but when our children’s skin is exposed for longer periods of time, we need to protect them with the least toxic form of sun block as possible. I have decided to make my own sun block for my daughter using plain or as close to plain zinc oxide as I can find. I will post the recipe next. Enjoy!