Sunscreens and Your Health

Lake Tahoe Acupuncture & Wellness

Shopping for sunscreen? If you look at the label of the ten or so most popular products, you'll find a handful of synthetic active ingredients worth a second look. Compounds like oxybenzone and ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate can act as hormone disruptors and persist in the body and the environment. In fact, studies have found sunscreen chemicals in the breast tissue of a large majority of women tested.

Specific concerns that have been raised include:

• Octocrylene — can generate free-radical damage and contribute to premature aging.
• Homosalate — has been associated with lowered testosterone and increased absorption of pesticides.
• Several common ingredients — linked to coral-reef bleaching, which has led to bans in places like Hawaii.

Safer Alternatives

The best choice at this point is zinc oxide — yes, the white stuff that doesn't look so glamorous while you're wearing it. Zinc oxide blocks both UVA and UVB rays effectively and may even support skin repair. Titanium dioxide is a reasonable second mineral option, and some experimental botanical approaches (such as milk-thistle seed extracts) show early promise.

As a closing note: UVC light is being explored as a future antimicrobial tool for hospitals, since it can kill microbes without the skin-damaging effects of UVA and UVB exposure.

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