Skin Health
Our Guide to the Most Effective Internal + Topical Skin Supplements
We are diehard enthusiasts for the benefits of vitamins A+C on skin health. Decades of academic research supports their efficacy and safety—administered properly, their positive effects are unmatched, especially when used together. Our skin and our systems need appropriate amounts of both of these vitamins to function, so we generally suggest a combination of topical and internal supplementation and diet.
How to Find a Safe Sunscreen that Works
The right sunscreen not only lowers your skin cancer risk, but it delays skin aging, as well. For a sunscreen to effectively aid in photoaging prevention, it must include active ingredients that protect against damage occasioned by long-wave length UVA rays. But some ingredients in some sunscreens actually accelerate skin aging, because they generate free radicals that attack cell structures and DNA, eventually resulting in chronic inflammation.
Sun Protection: Scrutinize Sunscreen Ingredients, Not SPF Numbers
To select a safe and healthy sunscreen, scrutinize sunscreen ingredients, not SPF numbers. Physical sunblocks offer UVB protection equivalent to chemical sunscreens and superior protection against UVA rays and beyond. Some chemicals in sunscreens can be toxic to reproductive systems, cause allergic reactions and accelerate skin aging.
Sun Protection: High SPFs Can Be Misleading
The most effective way to delay signs of aging is to wear broad-spectrum sunscreen with good UVA protection daily—not only when you go to the beach. But beware: Products boasting high SPF numbers can be very misleading. High SPF ratings, in the 40s, 50s and even higher, indicate complete, broad-spectrum, UVB/UVA protection. The implication is that the higher the number, the greater your level of protection.
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Sun Protection: It's Dangerous to Get It Wrong
Some time ago, a senator used a snowball as Exhibit 1 to prove that global warming doesn’t exist—if it did, we wouldn’t have snowballs, right? Well, no actually. Extreme temperatures in temperate zones, low as well as high, demonstrate exactly the opposite, but who are we to deny senators their theatrical moments, no matter how ridiculous?
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A Sperm-Savers’ Shopping Guide
A recent Danish study showed that, of almost 5,000 men averaging 19-years-old tested over a 15-year period, only 25% had healthy sperm counts. To blame: plastics like PFCs and phthalates found in toys, food and cosmetics—and the materials used to package them. Of course, the problem goes far beyond the plastics mentioned—plastics manufacturing is the third largest industry in the U.S., and at every stage of their journey from factory to landfill, synthetic polymers have a negative impact on our health and the health of future generations.
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9 Suggestions for Sensible Sun Protection
As the subject of how best to protect yourself from the sun grows ever more complicated, advice from all quarters grows shriller and ever more conflicting. Now we have after-sun damage to ponder, and Professor Niehls Jorgensen, author of a new Danish study suggesting a link between exposure to an enormous number of chemicals in plastics and low sperm counts, advises men not to wear sunscreen at all.
Sun protection is a complicated business, and it’s little wonder consumers are confused, fed up or just plain bored with the whole subject. But sun protection is important. Melanoma (the most deadly form of skin cancer) rates are skyrocketing, and simply put, wearing sunscreen can save lives. However, it can’t be just any old sunscreen. In fact, most sunscreens are worse than useless, as the EWG points out.
Listen Up, Guys! Sunscreen is Absolutely Essential for Men
The stats are in, and they’re scary. A recent study showed few adults regularly used sunscreen on the face (men: 18.1%, women: 42.6%,), other exposed skin (men: 19.9%, women: 34.4%), or both the face and other exposed skin (men: 14.3%, women: 29.9%). Regular use was associated with sun-sensitive ski, and an annual household income greater or equal to $60,000. Nearly 40% of users were unsure if their sunscreen provided broad-spectrum protection.
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