Health Brief
Protect your skin from the sun’s harmful rays
A few skin cancer facts :
- Skin cancer is the most common cancer in Canada.
- The incidence of skin cancer is consistently rising.
- One in seven Canadians will suffer from one of the many types of skin cancer during his or her lifetime.
- Skin cancer accounts for about one-third of all new cancers diagnosed each year.
Canadian Cancer Society
For most people, sunshine means vacation, warmth, relaxation and an opportunity to work on their tan. Our bodies certainly need sunshine: it is necessary for synthesizing vitamin D (important for bone health) and also for keeping our spirits up. But there is a darker side to it as well, as we all know that staying in the sun for too long without any kind of protection from its rays is bad for our health.
Following a few simple, common-sense tips will help you take advantage of the sun’s benefits without being exposed to its potentially harmful effects. Protective clothing -- sunglasses, a sun hat and T-shirt -- and sun lotions are essential, especially if you are planning to spend an entire day out in the sun. Apply sunscreen a second time within the first half hour of exposure to the sun, and then every two hours thereafter.
To help you make sense of all the different sun protection lotions/creams on the market, check out the list (below) and read the labels carefully to make sure you get the ingredients that provide optimal protection.
Ingredients to look for
- Parsol 1789 or Avobenzone with Mexoryl (SX or XL) or Octocrylene
- Tinosorb S (or Bemotrizinol)
- Titanium dioxide
- Zinc oxide
Ingredients to avoid
- Oxybenzones (BP-3 or BZ-3)
- Benzophenones (BP-1, BP-2, BP-3 or BZ-3, Escalol 567, Uvinul M40, Uvasorb Met)
- Octyl Methoxycinnamate (OMC)
- 4-Methylbenzylidene Camphor (4-MBC)
- 3-Benzylidene Camphor (3-BC)
- PABA (most sun lotions no longer contain this)
Source : PasseportSanté.net
In the meantime, have a wonderfully sunny summer!
