Effective Sun Screen Ingredients

What to Look For in an Effective Sun Screen

Protecting your skin from the sun's damaging UV rays is probably the easiest and safest step you can take to preserve your skin's youthful beauty and health. I say health as well because skin cancer, perhaps the most frightening example, is caused by cell division gone berserk.

If normal regenerative cell division and the laying down of new normal skin tissue can be preserved, the (non-genetic) risk of skin cancer can be reduced. So we're not just talking aesthetics or vanity here. We're talking true preventive measures you can take against skin degeneration and disease.

There are two ways to protect the skin from sun damage: using physical methods through which UV rays cannot penetrate well, like clothing or zinc oxide; or applying sun screens which absorb UV rays. Most fabrics have some sun blocking ability, which explains why the most frequently exposed parts of our bodies (face, neck, hands, and arms) suffer the most sun damage.

But most of us don't want to cover up with occlusive clothing when the weather is hot; nor do we want to spread thick, pasty zinc oxide all over the face and neck. Thanks to science, there are many sun screen alternatives.

New chemical sun blockers like micronized titanium dioxide are not as thick and opaque as the old zinc oxide. Many UV absorbing chemicals are available for those who prefer an invisible sun screen.

If you opt for a sun screen cream, apply it at least 20 minutes before sun exposure, whether outdoors or in front of a sunny window (because glass transmits some of the sun's damaging rays). Use SPF of at least 15 (more if you are using exfoliating or bleaching creams/treatments, because they expose more delicate, fresher skin to UV rays). SPF is additive. So if your makeup has SPF of 10 and your moisturizer has SPF of 15, you have total SPF of 25.

SPF is a measure of UVB absorption only. There is no measure of UVA absorption, so be sure your sun screen is broad spectrum and contains ingredients to block UVA absorption as well.

Some UVA absorption ingredients are: Parsol 1789 (avobenzone); cinnamates such as octyl methocinnamate and cinoxate; salicylates such as octyl, homomenthyl, or triethanolamine salicylate.

For more information, read about Helioplex and Mexoryl to learn about two new broad spectrum sun screen ingredients.

This article is for informational purposes only. It does not purport to offer medical advice.

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