Sunscreens, Safe or Not?

People with diabetes as well as other people need to protect our skin from the sun. During the height of summer, this is an important issue.

Getting a sunburn can create healing problems if it is a severe burn. Also the level of blood glucose is naturally increase because of the heat and evaporation that takes place from your body.

While not my favorite, the Environment Working Group has published a new report that three out of five sunscreens sold offer inadequate protection from the sun. Some are even dangerous to use.

Seventy percent (70%) of sunscreens products now contain strong UVA filters, compared to 29% last year. The bad new is that much UVA protection is still too thin to save your skin. Be careful what products you waste your money on.

For those interested the following link give the full report: which sunscreens are best. I am listing only the best five.

Tests done on leading sunscreens from name brands like Coppertone, Banana Boat, and Neutrogena, shows that 42% of the sunscreens still contain the chemical oxybenzone, which has been shown in laboratory tests to disrupt the endocrine system and release oxygen that could contribute to skin cancer.

Here are the best rated sunscreens

1. Soleo Atlantis Organics All Natural Sunscreen, SPF 30+
2. Badger Sunscreen, SPF 30
3. Turkid Sunny Days Facestick Mineral Sunscreen UVA/UVB Broad Spectrum, SPF 30+
4. Purple Prairie Botanicals Sun Stuff, SPF 30
5. Lavera Sunscreen Neutral, SPF 40

I have found three of the above at Amazon.com.

The article also alerts us to watch out for lip cancer. Because the sun hits the lower lip where most lips cancers develop. It is as important to protect the lips as it is keeping them from drying out.

The article states that people who cover their lips more than once a day with lip balm or even colored lipstick may cut their cancer risk in half. This comes from the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute.

My advice is to carefully plan your time in the sun. Use care in the protection you use, use it wisely, and avoid exposing unprotected skin for long periods.