Sunscreen - More Than Just UV Protection

Part 1: Sun Protection Factor (SPF)

Few people realize what SPF actually means, so Erik thought he'd describe it to you.  The SPF value reflects the amount of UV your skin absorbs; for 15, it's 1/15th or about 6.7% of what you'd absorb wearing nothing.  SPF 30 is 1/30th or about 3.3% of nothing.  Described another way, SPF 15 is 93.3% UV protection, whereas SPF 30 is 96.6% UV protection and SPF 50 is 98% UV protection.

You've probably heard SPF 15 is about the best protection you can actually get.  The graph details why: as you buy higher and higher SPF value sunscreen, the marginal benefit decreases.   It's not uncommon to find SPF 30 sunscreens that cost 20% more than SPF 15, but you only get an additional 3.3% benefit.  Keep in mind that reaching a 3.3% increase in UV protection may demand double the synthetic chemical UV absorbers in the formula, which elevates your risk of potential health problems and side effects.  AND, that's only part of the SPF story: FDA's experimental determination of a sunscreen's SPF value really focuses on the "burn" of sun burn (erythema/redness is caused by UVB), not the premature aging component (caused by UVA). Those high SPF sunscreens may be doing very little to protect you from early wrinkles and some skin cancers unless they also have a broad spectrum UVA absorber.  The mineral Zinc Oxide is the best broad spectrum UVA and UVB sunscreen available which is why it is used in many of Kabana's products.

Part 2: Application Amount Determines SPF Level

During this past summer the press covered stories that suggested sunscreen manufacturers were deliberately misrepresenting SPF claims as printed on their labels.  Several ‘studies’ were undertaken to demonstrate that the SPF claims were not accurate, and yielded various results, supporting and condemning this hypothesis.  The major problem with any labeled SPF level is that the Minimum Erythemal Dose (MED) test that the FDA uses to evaluate SPF level is dependent upon the amount of sunscreen formula that is actually applied to the skin and stays there during the evaluation period.  That standardized amount is 2 milligrams per square centimeter, which is about equivalent to applying a shot glass full of sunscreen to your entire body.  Nearly all of us never use that amount, which means we don’t apply enough to get the expected protection.  The amount that stays there during the UV exposure period is further dependent upon several factors including skin exposure to water and sweat, and the fact that many synthetic hydrocarbon UV absorbers get destroyed by UV (a process called photodegradation) which eliminates it as an effective sunscreen. 

Since SPF level is directly related to amount of active UV screen on the skin, if you apply SPF 15 twice at the ‘proper’ amount, you’ll have protection more like SPF 30.  If you go swimming, sweat, roll over on your towel or do anything else that can remove the UV absorber, or depending on the formula, expose it to UV photodegradation, (which is what happens when you’re in the sun) your protection will be decreased.

This illustrates the importance of regular sunscreen application.  The fact is you really can’t use too much mineral sunscreen such as Zinc Oxide to protect yourself from the sun, whereas with the synthetic hydrocarbon sunscreens, you could.  When using Green Screen®, apply more than you think you need to, and you’ll have the right amount on you for optimal UV protection without looking white. 

Applying sunscreen once a day is simply not enough if you plan extended enjoyment outside, despite what it may illegally say on the label. FDA outlawed terms such as "sunblock," "waterproof," and "all day protection" in 1999 with publication of the OTC Final Monograph on Sunscreen Labeling, yet look at how many companies - Banana Boat, Coppertone, Hawaiian Tropic, Neutrogena, Bullfrog & others - are trying to deceive you and are getting sued for it.   

Part 3: The 1-2-3s of UV Protection – 1-UVB, 2-UVA and 3-Antioxidants

You’re going to learn some really important things in the next three paragraphs, and probably learn the definition of some new terms, so pay attention and don’t be intimidated if a few words look unfamiliar! 

UV light contains energy – like the infrared (IR) light that your electric stove produces, UV also heats things up, but more importantly excites electrons in the skin cell molecules that absorb it.  This energy has to go somewhere – what happens in skin is these excited electrons – also called free radicals – promote reactions that attack DNA and other important skin cell components.  This process is called oxidation.  When a certain amount of oxidative damage has occurred to these critical structures of your body, the intermediate result is premature aging (wrinkles!) and the end result is skin cancer (possible early death!).

Since the process of free radical creation by UV exposure results in oxidation, it makes a whole lot of sense to include a whole bunch of antioxidants in sunscreen formulas.  Antioxidants are called anti-oxidants because they make really easy targets for these dangerous free radicals – essentially antioxidants sacrifice themselves to destruction by the free radical, instead of allowing the free radical to attack critical cellular structures like your DNA.  

While no sunscreen product can protect you entirely from UV absorption because there are simply too many UV rays when you go outside, it’s common sense to think that antioxidants would be a good addition to sun protection products.  This seems particularly common sense since many of the synthetic hydrocarbon-based sunscreens can also promote free radical creation via photo-degradation (see Part 2 in the October Newsletter), but for the unfortunate reason of economic utility (a.k.a. “greedy pig profits”) the major mass marketed consumer sunscreens contain few high quality antioxidants, if any at all.  Why?  Antioxidants are expensive!  Kabana’s Green Screen® is chock full of antioxidants based on its rigorously natural retinol-rich tropical butter, lanolin and jojoba oil formula, and also includes fortification with botanically-sourced Vitamin E, to ensure you’ve the best 1-2-3 UV protection possible – 1-UVB, 2-UVA and 3-Antioxidants.