The Great Debate: Sunscreen vs Vitamin D
Hey B. spot!
Sorry for the delay in posting but time has so not been on my side lately! Now on to topic, how many of you are aware of the great debate in the medical world between protecting our skin from the damaging effects of UV rays and the lack of vitamin D produced by our bodies due to sunscreen usage? A quick recap,
Vitamin D is produced when UVB rays react with 7-dehydrocholesterol, a naturally occurring compound in our skin. It is extremely beneficial for maintaining normal levels of calcium and phosphorus in our blood to form and maintain strong healthy bones. More recently, vitamin D has been linked to preventing osteoporosis, hypertension and some cancers. We are all aware of the benefits of wearing sunscreen everyday to help prevent skin cancer and photo-aging. So, how do we choose which is most important when they are both very important? The answer is- we don’t!
It seems as though the general conclusion from the medical world is that there is no need to sacrifice one for the other. Wear your sunscreen- preferably SPF 30 or higher- and get your vitamin D via your diet or even better, through supplements. Now that we have settled that issue, let’s look at the sunscreens that Elle magazine readers made their top picks!
Neutrogena Ultimate Sport Sunblock Lotion, SPF 55
This sport sunscreen follows the model of Neutrogena’s Ultra Sheer Dry Touch but has more film formers to increase the water resistance for you outdoorsy types. The UVA protection comes from the 3% Avobenzone. Fyi, if you really care about UVA protection (and you should) look for avobenzone, ecamsule or zinc oxide on the actives label.
Aveeno Positively Ageless Sunblock Spray- SPF 50
What I like the most about sprays like this is that I don’t have to apply another cream or lotion. It goes on weightless and for my sometimes super oily skin- less is more! UVA protection is courtesy of the avobenzone.
Banana Boat Ultra Defense- SPF 50
Using their patented AvoTriplex (hmm, does that sound like something else we have heard of?) Similar to the helioplex, AvoTriplex is based on increasing the photostability of avobenzone (without stabilizers, avobenzone can breakdown when exposed to UV and become useless) by adding a stabilizer and an ingredient that can boost the efficacy of avobenzone.
Clinique Sun SPF 25 Body Spray
You have got to give a company credit who is offering you half of the SPF protection for double the price!
LaRoche Posay Anthelios SPF 40 Sunscreen Cream
The advantage of ecamsule or mexoryl is that it has greater UVA ray absorption capability than avobenzone in the shorter UVA region. When used together, you get more complete UVA coverage than using either one alone.