Sunblock warning!

[buddha]

So I've been hearing about some sunblocks actually causing skin cancer or speeding up cell growth of melanoma. Either this or the fact that a lot of sunblocks are totally ineffective because they don't block the threats posed by both UVA and UVB rays.

Like a lot of us I went out and bought the Neutrogena sunblock that received write-ups in this forum. I started to get curious and researched a couple of the online articles. In one of the articles posted in AOLnews they had a lonk to a seperate site, hosted by a group called Environmental Working Group, I found what they call their Sunscreen Guide. There are ways to look up the sunscreen you prefer and get an evaluation from this group.

To my great dismay, having already experienced a carcinoma myself, I found that the vast majority of sunblock products sold by Neutrogena have a rating that indicates that they should be avoided. They offer what is referred to as "unbalanced sunscreen" which is explained as not offering the same protection against UVA and UVB. This means that while I might be protected from getting an itchy, burning sunburn I might still get skin cancer.

Also, a lot of the Neutrogena products use what is called "oxybenzone" as one of the ingredients. Researching this disclosed that oxybenzone is a synthetic estrogen that gets absorbed through the skin. Need I say more?

You can look at this kinda scary stuff for yourself by looking up Environmental Working Group Sunscreen Guide or go to their website at www.ewg.org.

I encourage all my bald bretheren to check this site out. As I said, been there-done that-don't care to do it again. The site isn't all bad news, though. They also give advice on the best sunscreens out there, as well.

Keep the domes healthy, amigos.

[ChallengeMe]

Buddha: Thanx for this very important information, especially for us bald domes.

And thanx for the link to sunscreen ratings. Just found out my sunblock "Hawaiian Tropic" has a rating of "avoid"! Among the "concerns" are MISLEADING SPF!!!!!!!!! How do they get away with this?

[Sgt. Pate]

That is interesting.  I just ordered two more tubes of Bald Guyz SPF-30, I'll have to check out the label and see wazzup with their product!  

Hummm... actually they were reviewed on that site:  http://www.ewg.org/2010sunscreen/finding-the-best-sunscreens/225266/Bald-Guyz-Sunscreen-SPF/   

[D.A.L.U.I.]

I have pre-cancerous lesions, basel cell and squamous cell skin cancers.  All meds carry the burden of side effects.  I use them and will continue to do so--I've no desire to become a statistic.  Some times I find these sites a little too "Green Nazi" if you know what I mean.

[cvasara]

"How do we get away from this"  was asked a couple posts earlier.
How,  well, $5.95 will get you a sun blocking cap
Kinda like the one I wear.
Or maybe different.
Pretty effective too.

[TGB1]

I am not surprised about this. Chemicals are seldom a good answer for anything outside of a research lab.

[Kojak]

Great info. Looks like the products on their suggested list would be hard to come by without purchasing them on the internet.

[buddha]

How do they get away with this?

They get away with it because the FDA's supposed regulations regarding sunscreen that were originally written in 1978 and last updated in 2007 have never been enacted. Thus, the companies who make the sunscreens have never had to comply with the regulations because, in truth, they don't exist on a practical/enforceable level. According to the "law" they would have to truthfully describe what specific protections they afford but, since they regulations don't legally exist in an enforceable form, they don't have anything to comply with!

[Magoo]

Buddha........I also have been reading on this subject and have had skin cancer . I'm a firm believer of wide brim hats.....they don't cause cancer.

[reb123161]

Thanks for the info---oddly enough, I went shopping yesterday for some sunscreen and had the same questions as some on here.  I am of Scott-Irish descent, which means I MUST protect the skin.  Already have had some lesions removed.  I will use the sunscreen, but the hat  will be used, also. 

I did not know the temperature gauge the dome is!!  I feel cool breezes more readily than others and a real "mind blower" was feeling the heat these computer screens put out whenever I turn my head to speak to someone.  I have always been tolerant to the heat----living in Mississippi, that is a must----but I learned to WEAR the hat and protect the head.  Actually got dizzy after being out for a short period of time yesterday.  LOVE the SLY and will never go back, though.

[BlackJamesRackham]

so what is a good sunblock?

i mainly just use it on my tattoos to keep them from fading

[kenny57028]

Good find the sunscreen im using blocks both uva/uvb rays, but ill have to look it up on that website to see what im really getting.

[Hook'Em]

Organizational Goals

1. To protect the most vulnerable segments of the human population—children, babies, and infants in the womb—from health problems attributed to a wide array of toxic contaminants.

2. To replace federal policies, including government subsidies that damage the environment and natural resources, with policies that invest in conservation and sustainable development.


I'll take what they say with a huge block of salt.

[Alexander215]

http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/
Check this out too...

[Gambrinus]

Buddha........I also have been reading on this subject and have had skin cancer . I'm a firm believer of wide brim hats.....they don't cause cancer.

I'm with Magoo.  I have a big ugly booney hat that is SPF 100000000 and chemical free