Sunscreen or Sunblock, do you know the difference?

Years ago when my son was young, were away and I would apply sunscreen to him to protect him from being burned by the sun. I thought I was doing the right thing to keep him safe but was I ever wrong. Almost instantly when he went into the sun he turned deep red. He would then scratch his skin vigorously. I thought he was allergic to the sun. I bought him a sun shirt in hope that it would help and he still had the same reaction. Little did I know then it was not the sun he was allergic to but the sunscreen he was having a reaction to. I wanted to know what was happening. After doing extensive research I soon discovered that there were two ways that sun protection works. Once I understood the difference and what was going on with the reaction he had, it never happened again. I was now able to protect my son from the sun in a healthier way, I was also helping the rest of my family.

There are many of us who don’t know the real difference between a sunscreen and a sunblock. And there are so many products on the market to confuse us, with so much labeling and confusing ingredients to understand. The main difference between sunscreen and sunblock in how they protect the skin against harmful UV rays. Sunblock blocks UV rays by forming a physical shield, while a sunscreen absorbs the rays. The words are quite commonly used interchangeably but they are quite different.

Sunblock, is normally opaque and leaves a white coating on the skin. It does not need to be reapplied every few hours as it can stay on the top layer of the skin for a prolonged period of time. Once applied, it forms a barrier against the harmful and damaging rays of the sun by scattering and reflecting them away from the skin. Sunblock usually contain zinc oxide or titanium dioxide or both as their main active ingredient. These offer a good balance between protection from the two types of ultraviolet radiation – UVA and UVB – and don’t often contain potentially harmful additives.

Sunscreen, on the other hand, is a chemical that absorbs the UVA rays. Once applied it is absorbed by the skin. It breaks down after prolonged sun exposure, and needs to be reapplied every two or three hours to for continued protection. Sunscreen products usually contain three to six of these active chemical compounds: oxybenzone, avobenzone, octocrylene, octisalate, homosalate, and octinoxate. Oxybenzone, poses a hazard to human health and the environment. It is an allergen and a hormone disruptor that penetrates the skin.

An additional key difference between sunblock and sunscreen is in the application process. Since sunblock provides a physical barrier, you can simply slather it on instead of rubbing it into the skin and go right outside. With sunscreen you need to wait about 30 minutes for the product to be absorbed in order to get the protection from the sun.

What should I use?

It’s easy to get confused in the long list of ingredients found in sunscreen labels that are filled with hard-to-pronounce words. Many of these products are found on supermarket and drug store shelves, and we assume them to be safe to use.

Many studies have found potential links between active chemical sunscreen ingredients and cell damage, allergies, and even hormone disruption. Chemicals in conventional sunscreens can add to your toxic load in your body.

Using a safe sunblock that contains minerals, and not harsh chemicals that may have effects on your health is the best way to go.

Sunscreens that are made with zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are safer than the chemical ones. They provide good protection with few health concerns and they do not break down in the sun.

It’s also smart to check for other ingredients in sunscreen, such as chemical fragrances, petroleum, parabens used as preservatives, and nanoparticles. You want to avoid these aw well.

Are you aware that:

• About half the sunscreen products sold in the U.S. wouldn’t pass the more stringent European standards because they don’t filter enough UVA rays.

• Nearly 67 percent of sunscreen products reviewed by EWG either didn’t work adequate to protect from UV rays or they contained dangerous ingredients.

• Oxybenzone is in widespread use in American chemical-based sunscreens. Oxybenzone works like an estrogen in the body and is linked to abnormal sperm function in animal studies and endometriosis in studies of women. Oxybenzone is also a skin allergen in a significant number of people.

This last one is a biggie- avoid spray sunscreens. Although convenient it’s very difficult to apply and provide adequate protection. It hugely increases the risk you’re sending sunscreen chemicals directly into your lungs (and the lungs of everyone sitting around you.) This has enormous health implications.

The Environmental Working Group puts out a yearly report on sunscreens. It is in your best interest for the health of your family to look up the current sun protection you are currently using. https://www.ewg.org/sunscreen/

Years ago, I learned the hard way. But I did learn. Since then, my family only uses mineral sunblock.