Wellness Tip: How to Prevent Skin Cancer

The Valley Advocate: Wellness - Wellness: Saving Your Skin: "Suntan lotion offers a very important and easy way of protecting yourself from the sun's harmful rays. However, not all sunscreens are healthy for you or for the environment. When selecting a safe sunscreen, look for a cream-based, non-oxybenzone, non-retinyl palmitate formula. Spray and powder sunscreens emit dangerous chemicals into the air. Studies have been done on the toxicity of oxybenzone in both humans and rats; although they haven't been conclusive, they've evoked some doubt about how healthy for the skin the chemical is in large doses.

Retinyl palmitate (chemical-speak for Vitamin A) in various lab tests has increased hormone secretion and the risk of increased development of tumors and lesions on the skin when applied topically. Also, don't be distracted by sunscreens marketing SPF at 65 and above. The magic in sunscreen is virtually all the same once you reach SPF 50; the higher you go after that, the more unhealthy chemicals there will typically be in the formula. Finally, you want to look for sunscreens marked 'broad-spectrum.' Those protect the skin from both UVB and UVA radiation, which are responsible for sunburns and other types of skin damage."