What They Don’t Want You to Know
By Brittany Donohoo
Staff Reporter March 9, 2018 Put that bottle of sunscreen down right now. You have no idea what you're putting on your skin, which is exactly what the sunscreen companies want.
If you take a moment to read the back of most bottles, you'll find moisturizing antioxidants such as Vitamin A which don't react well with sunlight and have the potential to trigger the development of cancerous skin lesions or tumors. Or you might even notice that your sunscreen protects against UVB rays, preventing the skin from burning, but not UVA rays that are able to pass-through skin and windows alike to deteriorate the skin's integrity and cause sun spots, wrinkles and sagging. Also, a little-known fact about these products that could hurt in the end is although sunscreen and sun block companies advertise a shelf-life of about two years, once they're opened, they expire quickly and lose almost all their protection values. That doesn't mean that you use some of the product and throw the rest away, just to then buy some more for a different outing. Technically, you shouldn't be throwing any away at all because you should use about a quarter-sized amount on your face and neck, and a golf ball-sized amount on the rest of your body every two to four hours. A family of four could, and should, easily use an entire bottle of sunscreen during a prolonged day in the sun, maybe even ten. But who's to say that you should only apply before a day in the sun? A typical white shirt has an SPF of only 7, which is easily penetrable by the sun's harmful rays. So, to be safe, you should generously apply before ever stepping out of your house, even if you're just out to get the mail. It's due to those brief periods of exposure in the sun, built up over a lifetime that can cause just as much damage as an active "sun-bather." This explains why older people bruise so easily on the backs of their hands and arms; their cells have been destroyed little by little to the point where they're completely at the mercy of UVA rays. Even if a sun block says it's "waterproof" or "sport, " doesn't mean it's "waterproof," they are not the same thing; reapply immediately after toweling off and take care of your skin. All in all, know what you're putting on your body and pay attention to the ways you can protect it. |
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