Do Your Research and Wear Sunscreen

I recently read about a celebrity who uses Botox, but won’t use sunscreen on her family because in her words, “It’s unnatural.” Now keep in mind, I have no issue with Botox or fillers - good for her! But spreading the word not to use sunscreen makes me sad.

Why wear sunscreen?

The bottom line is that sunscreen helps protect your skin against damaging ultraviolet (UV) radiation and UVB rays that cause sunburn. Wearing sunscreen actually helps keep this radiation from being absorbed into the skin. While nothing works as well as staying out of the sun, a sunscreen with an SPF of 50 can block up to 98 percent. The higher the number, the more protection.

Is it unnatural?

The part that bothered me was that this celebrity spends a lot of time on their boat. This isn’t just her either, it’s her entire family, including her small children. She doesn’t allow anyone to wear sunscreen. I won’t name her, because that’s not nice, and I actually like her, which is how I found out.

But not only is she risking herself getting sun damage, she’s allowing her children to be at risk. I’m sure she takes other precautions, of course. I’m just saying that there are sunscreens that are more natural.

For example, you can easily find sunscreens that do not contain benzene. Some are 100 percent mineral composition, and don’t include parabens, oxybenzone, or phthalates.

Natural sunscreens do exist

The difference in natural sunscreens and others are that, according to a Forbes article,
"Natural sunscreen, also known as physical sunscreen, uses minerals ground into fine powders rather than chemicals to provide protection from the sun’s UV rays."¹

So, if you’re someone who is worried about what is going onto your skin or in the ocean, you can find natural or physical sunscreen to put your mind at ease.

Do your research, and wear sunscreen

Here’s the thing, if you do your research, you’ll find that while some sunscreens may be considered less natural, there are plenty of others that are known as safer alternatives. You’ll want to still choose a broad spectrum sunscreen, which means it protects from both UV and UB rays.

There are a couple of FDA minerals approved for sunscreens, and these are titanium dioxide and zinc oxide.¹

I’m not trying to judge this person for her choices. I’m just trying to say that there are alternatives that might fit a more natural lifestyle.

Along with sunscreen, try to cover up the skin as much as possible, which she says they do. And stay out of the strongest sun hours between 10 am and 2 pm.

Keep in mind that the sun is harmful to your skin no matter where you live. While it may be stronger in Florida, you can get a sunburn in New York too. In fact, you can sunburn when it’s cloudy, and even in the snow. So do your due diligence by using sunscreen, covering yourself, and staying out of the sun when possible. And don't let your skin get damaged by not wearing sunscreen - there's sunscreen for everyone, including organic.