It’s nearly sun season.
It’s time to stock up on sunscreen, right?
Yes, but you need an effective sunscreen, especially in Western Washington where melanoma, a type of skin cancer, is more common than in the rest of the country.
And you’ll need to take other precautions, too, to stave off cancer and aging skin, according to the Environmental Working Group.
Last month, the Washington, D.C.-based consumer watchdog group published its fourth annual guide to sunscreen at www.ewg.org/2010sunscreen.
Sunscreen, according to the group, is but a single tool in the varied arsenal we have to protect our skin from aging and cancer.
Consumers who put too much faith in sunscreens alone can give themselves a false sense of security and may end up increasing their risk of skin cancer, according to the group’s guide.
Staying out of the sun altogether — at least during peak hours between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. — and wearing protective clothing are just as important as sunscreen, according to the group.
Plus: Not all sunscreens are created equal, according to the EWG, the same nonprofit group that publishes the Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 guides to pesticides and produce.
Some sunscreens evaluated by the group block only UVB rays, which cause sunburn, but not UVA rays, associated with skin cancer and accelerated skin aging.
Sunscreens with vitamin A, a common anti-aging additive often listed as retinyl palmitate or retinol, may even accelerate sun damage when exposed to sunlight, according to an FDA study cited by the group.
Many other sunscreen products also contain ingredients such as oxybenzone that are associated with health concerns because they imitate hormones such as estrogen and penetrate the skin easily.
Critics of the environmental group have described its sunscreen reports as overly political, sensational and potentially misleading.
The industry-backed Skin Cancer Foundation said the report may cause people to stop protecting themselves with sunscreen. The Environmental Working Group’s guide, which criticized the cancer foundation on its Hall of Shame page for its sunscreen “Seal of Approval” practices, does not advocate the abandonment of sunscreen, however.
It recommends a limited selection of recommended products, including 39 beach and sport sunscreens (plus nine runners-up), 19 moisturizers, four makeups (plus 14 runners-up) and four lip balms (plus 15 runners-up).
Most popular brands such as Hawaiian Tropic, Banana Boat and Neutrogena, didn’t make the most-recommended lists.
Badger, California Baby, Soleo Organics and Jason Natural Cosmetics were among the brands with the most top-rated beach and sport sunscreens.
All of the top-rated beach sunscreens contain the minerals zinc and titanium instead of oxybenzone or similar ingredients.
None contain vitamin A.
None is a spray or powder, which consumers should avoid, according to the environmental group, because of possible inhalation of airborne ingredients.
Consumers can look up ratings of their favorite sunscreen products using a searchable database of nearly 1,400 SPF products analyzed by scientists and researchers with the environmental group.
Recommendation scores range from 0 to 2 (recommended, green), 3 to 6 (use caution, yellow) and 7 to 10 (avoid, red), depending on the safety of the ingredients and effectiveness of sun protection.
Specific ingredients are rated for each product to create an overall score and recommendation.
All the SPF products have been incorporated into the environmental group’s extensive cosmetics safety database, Skin Deep, at www.cosmeticdatabase.com, where you can find a printable pocket-size Shopper’s Guide to Safe Cosmetics, including sunscreen-shopping pointers.
Tips for sun safety
Don’t go overboard on SPF: Stick to SPF 15 to 50 products. Higher SPFs tempt you to stay in the sun too long without reapplying.
Use as directed: Most people do not use enough sunscreen. Doctors recommend using about a quarter cup of sunscreen for each full-body application. Reapply every two hours, more often if you’re swimming, sweating or frequently drying off with a towel.
Wear clothes and sunglasses: Tightly woven shirts, hats, shorts and pants can shield your skin from the sun’s UV rays. The Skin Cancer Foundation recommends sun-protective clothing with a UPF (ultraviolet protection factor) of 30 or higher. Sunglasses protect your eyes from UV radiation, a cause of cataracts.
Find shade: Picnic under a tree, read beneath an umbrella, take a canopy to the beach, and avoid direct sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. UV radiation peaks at midday.
Fake tans don’t protect: Sunless tanning lotions or self-tanners, which are not recommended by the Environmental Working Group, do not provide protection against sunburn, aging or skin damage. They simply stain the skin. Though some self-tanners contain sunscreen, they must be applied right before sun exposure and reapplied, just like a conventional sunscreen.
Protect your scalp: Bald heads should be liberally covered with sunscreen. Even if you have hair, be sure to protect your scalp, especially at part lines. Wearing a hat is best, and a broad-brim will protect your neck, lower face and ears.
Vitamin D? Many people, especially in the rainy Northwest, don’t get enough vitamin D, which the skin manufactures in the presence of sunlight. Your doctor can test your level and recommend dietary supplements or a few minutes of sun daily without sunscreen.
Babies: Keep newborns out of the sun. Sunscreens should not be used on babies younger than 6 months. Use stroller canopies and shades.
Check up: Examine your skin from head to toe every month. See your doctor every year for a professional skin exam.
Sources: Skin Cancer Foundation (www.skincancer.org), American Academy of Dermatology (www.aad.org) and Environmental Working Group (www.ewg.org/2010sunscreen).
Sarah Jackson: 425-339-3037, sjackson@heraldnet.com.
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