Healthy Living: Sunblock Trumps Sunscreen

If you’re old enough, you’ll remember these suntan myths: a tanned body is a healthy body, using baby oil will help you tan faster, and everyone needs to burn once before they can tan. People are much more aware today, but selecting from an array of products with different Sun Protection Factors (SPF) and options (spray-on or lotion, water-resistant or not) can be frustrating. Pacific Palisades resident Nasreen Babu-Khan, a local dermatologist, shared her knowledge about sun-protection tactics with the Palisadian-Post. Two types of sun radiation affect the skin: ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB). The UVB rays affect a skin’s ability to tan or burn. Sunscreens with high SPF means that people ‘are staying out longer in the sun because they’re not burning,’ Babu-Khan said. ‘But this doesn’t address the UVA rays, which are more damaging than the UVB rays, and may be why we’re seeing more skin cancers.’ The UVA rays are the ones that cause changes in the skin DNA and can result in skin cancer, Babu-Khan explained. Unfortunately, the SPF in most sunscreens is specifically for UVB rays and there is no standard measure for UVA rays, so even if the sunscreen lists UVA protection, there’s no way of knowing what you’re actually getting. Even though people think they’re protecting their skin with high SPF’s, what they’re actually preventing is burning, not skin damage, Babu-Khan said. She offers some common-sense solutions for safe skin: 1) stay out of the sun during the hottest hours of the day, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., 2) wear sun-protective clothing; the tighter the weave, the better the protection. Rash guards fall into that category and one company that specializes in sun-protective clothing is Solumbra. And 3) use sunscreens or sunblocks, which brings us back to the dilemma of which product to choose. Sunblocks that contain zinc or titanium dioxide are Babu-Khan’s choice. ‘Physical blockers reflect sun rays, so it’s like putting clothing on,’ she said. ‘The sun’s rays hit and reflect off.’ She recommends blocks like PreSun sensitive sunblock or Skinceuticals. L’Or’al has developed a sunscreen with Mexoryl, which does provide UVA protection, but it has only been available in Canada, Europe and on the Internet. In addition, many people also want a water-resistant sunscreen. However, as Baby-Khan noted, ‘The more things you want a sunscreen to do, the more chemicals you put on your skin. The more chemicals, the more likely you’ll get a reaction.’ To be most effective, sunscreens should be applied 20 minutes before going into the sun. They should also be reapplied during the day. ‘I don’t like spray-ons and aerosols because of the possibility of irritants and because people don’t know how much to put on,’ Babu-Khan said. Sunblocks, which are also water-resistant, can be applied as one is walking out the door. In addition they don’t have to be reapplied. ‘You’re lucky if you have one chance of putting it on,’ said Babu-Khan, who has five boys. ‘Sunblock gives me peace of mind.’ She also makes two other common-sense recommendations. ‘One, wear sunglasses because the rays affect the eyes. Two, use hair-care products that protect against UV radiation.’