Sunblock?

tigerhearted

So what's the consensus on sunblock?

My dad and FIL both have had numerous suspicious spots zapped off, and my MIL has recently had to have some zapped off as well, and she FIL have to go to the dermatologist every 6 months.  She was over this weekend and told me adamantly that I need to put sunblock on every.single.time. I go outside.

I love the lady, but honestly...I'm not willing to slather chemicals all over my skin on a daily basis just to go to the grocery store.     Now if I'm planning to spend a significant amount of time outdoors, let's say 1hr+, I'll do it. 

But every single day, when I am only out in the sun maybe 5-10 minutes on a regular basis?  Seems totally overkill.  At that point I am more leery of chemicals seeping into my system than the teensy possibility of getting skin cancer from such limited and spotty exposure. 

My dad and FIL were both in the military and consequently spent quite a lot of time out in the sun, and MIL was a total sun-worshiper.  With lifestyles like those before the days of sunblock and skin cancer awareness, of course they are going to wind up having issues with suspicious spots.

Hmm sorry that was a bit of a rant lol.

So back to my question....what's the Green Living consensus on sunblock?  How do you feel about it?  Do you feel it is necessary to use it on a daily basis despite the fact that it involves slathering chemicals into your skin?  When do you find it worthwhile to use sunblock?

Or am I completely off-base in being concerned about sunblock chemicals?  Is it a non-issue?

K&C2005

That is an interesting question I have never thought about it since I live in Oregon. It is not sunny enough in Oregon to have to use it everyday. We do use sunscreen in the summer if we are planning on spending most of the day outside but if I will be outside less than an hour I won't do it. Limited sun exposure is good for you and DD is allergic to sunscreen. I don't really worry about the chemicals because we don't use it often. I have noticed my DD has less of a reaction with California baby than with other brands and it is organic.

giraffeinheels

For my body, I like Badger 30SPF. Keys Rx moisturizer with SPF 30 is a nice one for the face. I like California Baby products too but they are a bit more expensive. I leave one of their sunblock sticks in my car as a back up. CosmeticsDatabase.com is a good place to research sunblocks. All three of these rated very well on that site.

PHNII

I agree with the Badger 30spf. I don't put sunscreen on every time I set foot outside, but if we're outside for an extended period of time, then I do. Type in sunscreen safety on yahoo and it will bring up this site and they list badger as one of the safest sunscreens out there. So I just got some from Vitacost. It's expensive, but it's better than slathering all those chemicals all over you.

JenD1018

majorwife:

And there was a very informative post on the EFF a year about explaining the difference between sunblock and sunscreen. One is absorbed into your skin, while the other sits on top and reflects the sun. You obviously want the one that sits on top of the skin.

I believe you are referring to physical blockers and chemical blockers.  Chemical blockers make up the majority of major sunblocks on the market (Neutrogena, Banana Boat, etc).  They are absorbed into your skin.  Physical blockers are the sunblocks that sit on the top layer of your skin - active ingredients are either zinc oxide or titanium dioxide.  Usually these sunblocks are known for leaving a white hue on your skin because they don't absorb into your skin.

As for the poster that said because they live in Oregon and there isn't much sun so they don't apply it all the time, UV rays still penetrate the clouds.  I have fair skin and I can get burned even on cloudy days if I'm outside during peak times.  UV protection is important no matter where you live.  Yes, a burn means an increased likelihood that you could get skin cancer, but so does repeated exposure over a long period of time (like driving in a car every day and the sun hits the side of your face).

I choose to use the physical sunblock because my skin has a burning, tingling reaction to the avobenzone and the oxybenzone.  I've had good success with the Blue Lizard brand on my body.  On my face, I use my facial Devita moisturizer because it's SPF 30 and the main ingredient for sun protection is titanium dioxide.  Luckily, it does not leave a white hue on my face.  I like their products also because they are vegan and not tested on animals. https://www2.devita.net/store/product.php?productid=17534&cat=290&page=1

 Also, make sure to wear lip protection year round - there is a huge rise in lip cancers.  And if you are outside for long periods of time, reapplication is key for whatever type of sunblock you use. 

SuperGreen

Two thoughts: 

tigerhearted:

My dad and FIL were both in the military and consequently spent quite a lot of time out in the sun, and MIL was a total sun-worshiper.  With lifestyles like those before the days of sunblock and skin cancer awareness, of course they are going to wind up having issues with suspicious spots.

I think a lot of the hysteria of "you have to wear sunblock all.the.time!" comes from people like this.  People who spent a lot of time outdoors during their youth, and now have suspicious spots.  If you're spending a ton of time outdoors, like in the military or farming, you should wear sunscreen.  Me personally, as a person who works indoors in a cube, my makeup has SPF and I wear sunblock when I'm outside for a long time.

Two:

JenD1018:

I believe you are referring to physical blockers and chemical blockers.  Chemical blockers make up the majority of major sunblocks on the market (Neutrogena, Banana Boat, etc).  They are absorbed into your skin.  Physical blockers are the sunblocks that sit on the top layer of your skin - active ingredients are either zinc oxide or titanium dioxide.  Usually these sunblocks are known for leaving a white hue on your skin because they don't absorb into your skin.

This is my understanding also.  So I wear sunblock, not sunscreen.  I have no idea what brand I use, I don't wear it much.  Honestly, I only wear sunblock if I'm going to the beach or will be outside all day, like at an amusement park.  And I am not religious about overapplying like I should be.    Do I worry about this?  No.

toadstool

SuperGreen:

Two thoughts: 

tigerhearted:

My dad and FIL were both in the military and consequently spent quite a lot of time out in the sun, and MIL was a total sun-worshiper.  With lifestyles like those before the days of sunblock and skin cancer awareness, of course they are going to wind up having issues with suspicious spots.

I think a lot of the hysteria of "you have to wear sunblock all.the.time!" comes from people like this.  People who spent a lot of time outdoors during their youth, and now have suspicious spots.  If you're spending a ton of time outdoors, like in the military or farming, you should wear sunscreen.  Me personally, as a person who works indoors in a cube, my makeup has SPF and I wear sunblock when I'm outside for a long time.

Two:

JenD1018:

I believe you are referring to physical blockers and chemical blockers.  Chemical blockers make up the majority of major sunblocks on the market (Neutrogena, Banana Boat, etc).  They are absorbed into your skin.  Physical blockers are the sunblocks that sit on the top layer of your skin - active ingredients are either zinc oxide or titanium dioxide.  Usually these sunblocks are known for leaving a white hue on your skin because they don't absorb into your skin.

This is my understanding also.  So I wear sunblock, not sunscreen.  I have no idea what brand I use, I don't wear it much.  Honestly, I only wear sunblock if I'm going to the beach or will be outside all day, like at an amusement park.  And I am not religious about overapplying like I should be.    Do I worry about this?  No.

This is pretty much me. Although sometimes I do wonder if one day I will  have extra aging on my skin that I will regret...

michelcreek

I'm a lurker on this board, but here's my 2 cents. I use sunblock on my face every single day.  And my kids too (face, neck, ears for them, sometimes arms).  We get plenty of milk so I'm not too concerned with Vitamin D difficiency, and I live in CA so we get plenty of sun. 

I am concerned with the chemicals in sunscreen so I use the least evasive ones I can.  For my kids, CA Baby and Dr. Supergoop (both diapers.com and reccomended by http://www.ewg.org/2010sunscreen).  For myself, I use PCA which I'm not sure if it's green or not, but again that part is secondary to the protection from the sun for me.