SPF Archives - Be Well Solutions

Solar Safety

Summer is here, calling us outdoors to enjoy picnics, baseball games, gardening, bike rides, beaches, and swimming pools. People have worshipped the sun for thousands of years. Recently, however, avoiding the sun has become all the rage. The threat of cancer, skin damage, wrinkles and a host of other ailments has been attributed to sun exposure. Hats, long sleeve shirts, sunglasses, and sunblock lotion has become the norm. Sunshine—like anything else, it’s all about moderation! Can you get too little sun? What SPF is the best? What is the minimum sun exposure I need to meet my vitamin D requirements? Let’s take a look at the facts: Negative Effects of UV Light Cancer—Ultraviolet Radiation is a leading cause of malignant melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. There is strong evidence that sun exposure is a major factor in the [...]

All About Sunscreen

You may have seen sunscreen in the news after a government-funded study found that twelve common active ingredients may be absorbed into the bloodstream. Only six of the studied ingredients are commonly used in the United States: ensulizole, octisalate, homosalate, octocrylene, octinoxate, oxybenzone, and avobenzone. The study’s author noted that just because ingredients get absorbed doesn’t make them harmful or unsafe; we don’t know enough about these ingredients to deem them as such. All this small pilot study tells us is that these ingredients may enter the body in levels greater than previously understood. The American Academy of Dermatology commented that these ingredients have been used for several decades without any reported side effects in people, so it’s not time to ditch your sunscreen supply (unless it’s expired)! We can soon expect sunscreen manufacturers to fund research to fill knowledge [...]