Do you dutifully apply sunscreen on all of your exposed skin every time you go out in the sun? Perhaps you slather it all over your children or loved ones as well. This widely accepted practice is viewed as a necessary precaution by many, but in fact poses a danger in its own right.
CBC News reports that Banana Boat Kids SPF50 inflicted 2nd degree burns on a 14-month-old baby. The mother, Rebecca Cannon of Canada, is justifiably furious. Rather than protecting her baby from sunburn, it was the sunscreen that did the burning.
Unfortunately, this sort of event is almost inevitable. If you use sunscreen purchased from a drug store, grocery store, or discount chain, there's a high chance your sunscreen is loaded with toxic ingredients. So do yourself (and your kids) a favor by getting up to speed on which sunscreens are safe, and which are toxic, before slathering up again.
If you work in the outdoors all day, are planning a trip to an outdoor theme park, or if you need to protect sensitive areas of your face (like around your eyes), safe sunscreen is certainly recommended. But if you apply sunscreen every time you're out in the sun, you'll block your body's ability to produce vitamin D. Optimizing your vitamin D levels may reduce your risk of as many as 16 different types of cancer, including pancreatic, lung, ovarian, breast, prostate and skin cancers.
Shielding your face from the sun is a habit I recommend, as this will help keep it looking youthful longer, as UVAs do tend to cause wrinkling and other skin damage. I personally use a cap that puts a shade around my eyes and my nose. I do that just to protect my skin, because the skin is very thin on your face and highly sensitive to the photoaging effects of UVA. I rarely ever use sunscreen and virtually never get sunburned. But I also take astaxanthin regularly, which serves as an internal sunscreen.