Can you Put on Too Much Sunblock?

Slather on that sunblock and spry on sunscreens. You are protecting yourself from ultraviolet B radiation which is part of natural sunlight. Dermatologists claim that UV-B exposure causes skin cancer, lethal melanomas and dark spots. However, and according to scientists, sealing off your skin to sunlight and natural light and air might just be causing more skin cancer issues.

Sunscreens have been used for almost 100 years. Scientists realized long ago that blocking out ultraviolet light, skin cancer could be prevented. Currently almost a billion dollars’ worth of sunscreens are sold every year in the U.S. alone. UV light causes prematurely old skin, skin cancer and it is important to protect your skin with sunscreens. However, you do not want to block the sunshine completely. Run out into the sun and stay for about 20 minutes. You have now boosted your vitamin D and improved your moods. Watch the clock, however and come back in after 20 minutes or your immune system will suffer. You now need to protect your skin with sunscreen before running out in the sun again.

UV-B radiation which causes suntans and sunburns is the component of sunlight that gives us the ability to synthesize vitamin D or the sunshine vitamin. Vitamin D is used by every cell in the human body. A lack of vitamin D causes multiple sclerosis, pathological problems and osteoporosis in animals. Does it do the same thing to people?

According to the FDA there are fifteen chemicals in sunscreens and blockers that absorb UV light. Two are made of minerals that reflect UV rays. Nine ingredients are endocrine disruptors. Instructions dictate that you must rub in sunscreen at least 20 minutes before exposure. As the sun shines on your skin, these ingredients get used up. Some sunscreens lose as much as 90% of their effectiveness in an hour so reapply to keep getting the protection from the sun’s rays. Use sunscreens with zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. These chemicals will sit on the surface of your skin and physically block UV light.  

Problems with Sunblock

Sunblock is great, but they soak into your skin and find their way into your bloodstream. They rush throughout your body and are not detoxified by the liver. You will find sunscreen ingredients in your blood, breast milk and urine for up to two days after one application. That’s okay if the ingredients are safe, but science has proven that there are unsafe ingredients in all sunblocks.

Nine out of fifteen chemical sunblocks are considered endocrine disruptors. These are the chemicals that interfere with the function of hormones in your body. The hormones disturbed are progesterone, testosterone, and estrogen and the thyroid. Endocrine disruptors cause abnormal development of fetuses and growing children. They can cause early puberty and premature breast development. Small and undescended testicles in boys are also a symptom. Low sperm counts and infertility is also a side effect. Endocrine disruptors mimic estrogen and contribute to the development of breast and ovarian cancers and increase the chance of prostate cancer in men.

A bit on the scary side. Want more? Chemical sunscreen absorbs UV light. As ingredients are absorb into the body there is the possibility that these components will also generate DNA damaging chemicals or free radicals. These are contributors to cancers.

It is difficult to definitively know if sunblocks are poisoning your bodies. It takes decades to study and research. What is known, sunscreens are applied in a manner that serves as a drug delivery system and that alone is unhealthy. It is also known that some sunscreens interfere with hormone action. It is almost like a Catch 22 scenario, but there are solutions. One is to use a sunscreen that contains zinc oxide. New sunscreens grind zinc oxide particles down to a very fine consistency. These particles site on your skin to block sunrays without absorbing into your bloodstream.

When using sunscreens, avoid slathering them on so thick that your skin is shiny and wet. An ounce or two over exposed skin is just fine. Avoid the sun after a two-hour period, shower, and wait a bit before going out again. Use common sense.

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HealthStatus has been operating since 1998 providing the best interactive health tools on the Internet, millions of visitors have used our blood alcohol, body fat and calories burned calculators. The HealthStatus editorial team has continued that commitment to excellence by providing our visitors with easy to understand high quality health content for many years. Our team of health professionals, and researchers use peer reviewed studies as source elements in our articles. Our high quality content has been featured in a number of leading websites, USA Today, the Chicago Tribune, Live Strong, GQ, and many more.

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Written by HealthStatus Team
Medical Writer & Editor

HealthStatus has been operating since 1998 providing the best interactive health tools on the Internet, millions of visitors have used our blood alcohol, body fat and calories burned calculators. The HealthStatus editorial team has continued that commitment to excellence by providing our visitors with easy to understand high quality health content for many years. Our team of health professionals, and researchers use peer reviewed studies as source elements in our articles. Our high quality content has been featured in a number of leading websites, USA Today, the Chicago Tribune, Live Strong, GQ, and many more.

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