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What is Physical Sunscreen?

By Ben Mester

Republish: EasyPublish™
Published: 21Oct2010
Word count: 596
Viewed: 254 time(s)

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In doing research on natural and organic sunscreens, I found that there was also a difference between physical sunscreen and chemical sunscreen, which I hadn't known before. Apparently physical sunscreen is known as sunblock, and does just that, it blocks harmful UV rays from reaching the skin, scattering and dissipating them. Chemical sunscreen absorbs the harmful UV rays. If you've bought sunscreen at a store before, you've probably noticed that some say sunblock on the label whereas others say sunscreen. I hadn't really noticed the difference until doing some research on natural sunscreens. So which is better, physical sunscreen or chemical sunscreen? If you ask me, neither one is good, but if you had to make the choice, physical sunscreen is definitely better.

Research is showing more and more that chemical sunscreens are very bad, toxic even. The chemicals that absorb the UVA and UVB rays actually produce free radicals as a byproduct of the reaction. For those of you who don't know, free radicals are exactly what causes cancer. It's almost comical in its irony. The very product that's supposed to protect you from cancer and aging actually is being shown to cause it. If you don't believe me, there are many reports out there. Just type in "Dangers of Sunscreen" into Google and you'll find as much information as you need. Not only that, but some sunscreens even contain chemicals that act as pseudo-estrogens, which you can imagine can cause lots of problems in the body, especially in men. The endocrine system which balances the hormones and other chemicals in your body is very delicate, and it doesn't take much to throw it out of homeostasis.

In doing research into natural sunscreen, I read a lot of testimonials from people who didn't like the fact that natural sunscreen was greasy, didn't rub in well, and smelled like medicine. Though a lot of people liked the natural aspect, they didn't like those other drawbacks. If that's you, then take a look into physical sunscreen. If you aren't going to go the natural route with sunscreen, at least stay away from the chemical stuff. Go with a sunblock instead of a sunscreen. Sunblocks give you full protection against both UVA and UVB rays. They do have a large drawback however. Sunblocks don't generally absorb into the skin. They stay on top of the skin as a protective covering. It can look like war paint, so be careful.

Sunlight has been heavily demonized in recent years. More and more people are supposedly protecting themselves from the sun's light by slathering on sunscreen every time they spend some time outside. But ask yourself this question, why have the rates of skin cancer and other forms of cancer steadily been rising even though people are protecting themselves more than ever? Because of the work of a group of eccentric dermatologists, people are scared to go outside at all without sunscreen, even though it has been shown that the body needs at least 11 minutes of exposure to direct sunlight a day without sunscreen in order to produce a healthy amount of vitamin D. Did you also know that studies have been coming out recently showing that sunlight actually has healing properties, and even some anti aging properties? The best thing you can do for your skin and your body is to educate yourself about sunlight. Don't just slather up with sunscreen or even sunblock every time you spend some time outdoors. Sunlight is essential to life and to proper chemical balance in the body. It's not harmful when absorbed moderately.

Thanks for dropping by to check out the dangers of chemical sunscreens and the difference between them and physical sunscreen. For more information, check out another of my articles on natural sunscreens.

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