What ingredients in sunscreen are safe?
When using sunscreen you are told to reapply, especially when you go swimming. “You are told to reapply partly because they are soluble so it doesn’t cling to your skin, the other reason you reapply is because you are absorbing them,” says Dr. Dudley. The ingredients you should look out for are insoluble or particle filters, such as zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, encapsulated octinoxate, Mexoryl SX™, Tinosorb S™, Tinosorb M™, Parsol SLX™, iscotrizinol, octyl triazone, and bisdisulizole disodium. None are hormone disruptors or photo allergens. They give balanced protection without any risks to human health.
If there’s one ingredient you should remember when it comes to sunscreens is zinc oxide and there are many companies that carry sunscreens with this ingredient, including Cyberderm, The Sunscreen Company. There is also mineral makeup that includes zinc oxide. One way to see if your makeup has minerals is to sprinkle makeup in a glass of water and if it sinks to the bottom, that means that it has starch and fillers, but if it floats then it has pure minerals. Using a good beauty regimen helps you from aging prematurely, which is why Dr. Dudley recommends that you use this 3-step simple beauty regimen:
- Wash your face with Dove Beauty Bar Soap for sensitive skin
- Apply sunscreen
- Makeup if desired
He promises that this simple routine will help keep your skin protected from sun damage and when you get to be 70-years-old, you won’t look a day over 40.
Make sure you use the right sunscreen
“Exposing yourself while on vacation, lying there in the sun with a sunscreen that offers no protection is the equivalent of being in a tanning bed for 2 weeks,” he explains. Radiation is cumulative and unfortunately, most people think that they should only use their sunscreen when they’re on vacation and this not true. It doesn’t matter what color your skin is, sunscreen should be used every day, winter, fall, spring, and summer.
“Skin cancer rates are rising. In 1997, there were 1 million of men with melanoma skin care, this year there will be 6 million cases,” he says. It doesn’t matter where you live, if you’re going outside between 10 and 2 p.m. (when the sun is the strongest), you need to wear sunscreen.
