Is there a safe face cream? Harmful cream

Hello everyone!

What are the most harmful substances in cosmetics and what should high-quality cosmetics not contain?

Perhaps this knowledge will allow you to choose a decent product to care for your appearance, and this means providing your body with not only beauty and health.

From this article you will learn:

According to research by Stacey Malkin, the initiator of the movement for safe cosmetics (Campaign for Safe Cosmetics) and the author of the book Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry, 15 of the most dangerous substances have been identified.

15 most harmful components in cosmetics

So, the most dangerous and harmful substances in cosmetics:

1. Silicone (Silicone) - avoid any cosmetics that contain more than 50% of this component.
   This is especially true for hair products. Choose the one that says Silicone free.
2. Tallow or animal fat - promotes the development of bacteria on the skin.
3. Mineral oil is a mineral oil product of petroleum refining. Forms a film on the face and prevents it from breathing. Dangerous!!! Often included in foundation. Look for the Oil Free label. Read what oils clog pores
4. Paraben (parabens) are preservatives (most often indicated as butyl, ethyl, methyl paraben). Cause allergies, dermatitis, breast cancer. When choosing, look for the inscription Haraben free.
5. Glueen is a cereal protein that can be dangerous for certain categories of people.
6. Bentonite (bentonite) is a highly toxic bleaching clay.
7. Glycols (glycol) are toxic, carcinogenic and mutagenic.
8. Talc (talc) is toxic. This is especially true for powder. When choosing, look for the words Talc free
9. Phthalates (Phthalates, BBP, DBP, DEHP, DEP, DIDP) Cause genetic disorders, especially dangerous during pregnancy.
10. Glycerin (not vegetable). Sucks moisture out of the skin and makes the skin even drier than it was.
11. Sodium Laureth Sulphate. Included in many shampoos. Causes hair loss, dandruff, scalp irritation
12. Artificial dyes. Labeled as Fd&C or D&C, followed by color and number. For example, Fd&cred #6.Dangerous and toxic
13. Triclosan (Triclosan) destroys the endocrine system. Forms toxic products when combined with tap water
14. Metal salts (mercury, lead, titanium) Mercury, Lead Acetate, plumbous acetate.

Dangerous Abbreviations on Cosmetics Labels

Remember these icons:

• "PEG"
• DMDM hydantoin
• Imidsazolidinyl urea
• Methylchloroisothiazolinone
• Methylisothiazolinone
• Triclosan
• Triclocarban
• Triethanolamine (or "TEA")

And this is not a complete list of harmful components. The list goes on for a long time.

Of course, it is worth taking into account the opinion of manufacturers, who endlessly insist that without some components it would simply be impossible to make cosmetics, that they are harmful only in certain proportions, and that they are safe in cosmetics.

Even if this is so, and the amount of harmful components in creams is within the normal range, what to do with the fact that environmentalists talk about so much?!

About the ability to accumulate harmful components in the body. It turns out that sooner or later this poison will shoot out if you continue to accumulate it in your body for a very long time.

And also, please, when purchasing any personal care products and household chemicals, pay attention to these icons and give preference to products with them.

This means this manufacturer DOES NOT TEST COSMETICS ON ANIMALS!!!

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Alena Yasneva was with you, be beautiful and healthy!

Hormonal ointments based on glucocorticosteroids have been used to treat many dermatological diseases for more than 40 years. Previously, they were not as effective, and their use often had many negative side effects. They were not used independently, but after mixing with creams. Modern hormonal ointments are effective and do not need to be diluted with anything. They are easy to use, quickly penetrate the epidermis and eliminate rashes, redness and discomfort caused by these skin lesions. However, their use does not always bring only benefits.

In this article, we will introduce you to the problems that hormonal ointments can cause and the most popular remedies. In addition, we will provide you with information about their classification by strength.

What are the indications for the use of hormonal ointments?

Hormonal ointments contain adrenal hormones - glucocorticosteroids. Using them, you can quickly cope with various inflammatory skin lesions in cases where other local remedies are ineffective.

Indications for the use of hormonal ointments are the following diseases:

• neurodermatitis;
• allergic dermatological diseases;
• varicose veins, etc.

Hormonal products for topical use - ointments, lotions, creams, sprays - are not recommended for use for more than 3 weeks. Their selection and prescription should be carried out only by a doctor who can determine the advisability of their use.

Hormonal ointments in pediatrics

For the treatment of children, drugs with glucocorticoids are more often prescribed for the treatment of allergic diseases and are used for a short period of time. Despite their rapid therapeutic effect, they can have a number of negative effects on the child’s body. When absorbed into the general bloodstream, hormonal drugs can affect the functioning of the adrenal glands, causing a rise in blood pressure and the development of side effects (for example, slowing growth).

When using such ointments in pediatric practice, preference should be given to agents with weak or moderate strength. They are available in the form of sprays or lotions and are not able to penetrate into the deeper layers of the skin (i.e., they have fewer adverse reactions). These drugs include: Ftoderm, Lokoid, Cinacort, Afloderm. Their use should be carried out using moderate doses, which the doctor introduces to the parents of the little patient.

Hormonal ointments for the face

For the treatment of diseases that are accompanied by damage to the skin of the face or neck, it is recommended to use products in the form of a cream or lotion, since ointment forms of such drugs have stronger activity and have a greater number of side effects. For such purposes, the following hormonal drugs can be used: Advantan, Elokom or Afloderm.

When used to treat the skin of the face and neck, hormonal ointments can cause the following negative reactions:

• development ;
• decreased collagen production, leading to thinning and hypersensitive skin;
• the appearance of patches and stretch marks;
• skin discoloration.

Contraindications for hormonal ointments

Only a doctor can determine the presence of all contraindications to the use of a particular drug - they are different for each drug and clinical case.

General contraindications for prescribing hormonal ointments are the following diseases and conditions:

• hypersensitivity to components;
• pregnancy period.

Benefits of hormonal ointments

When used, hormonal ointments relieve signs of inflammation after just a few applications. The patient is relieved of troublesome redness and rashes. The healing process with the use of these remedies proceeds faster.

Disadvantages of hormonal ointments

Despite the undeniable advantages, the use of hormonal ointments also has many disadvantages. Their self-prescription, incorrect or prolonged use can cause more harm to health than benefit.

The consequences of treatment with hormonal ointments may be as follows:

• acne;
• hyperpigmentation;
• skin atrophy (subsequently, the development of malignant tumors in the atrophied area is possible);
• slow healing of the skin from cuts or wounds;
• telangiectasia;
• subcutaneous hemorrhages;
• development of bacterial or fungal infections in the area of ​​application of drugs;
• hypertrichosis (increased hair growth) at the site of application of drugs;
• (reduced hair growth) at the site of application of drugs;
• or glaucoma when used in the eye area;
• withdrawal syndrome (with abrupt withdrawal of the drug, the condition of the skin at the site of application of the drugs sharply worsens).

Classification of hormonal ointments by activity

Group I – low activity

• Prednisolone – ointment 0.5%;
• Hydrocortisone (or Lokoid) - cream.

Drugs in this group can be used to treat diseases in the face, neck and skin folds. They can be prescribed with caution to children under 2 years of age and pregnant women.

Group II – with moderate activity

• Afloderm - cream or ointment;
• Lorinden + salicylic acid (Lorinden A) – ointment;
• Clobetasone Butyrate 0.05% – cream or ointment;
• Belosalik – cream;
• Cinacort (or Fluoroderm, Fluorocort) – cream and ointment;
• Betamethasone valerate 0.025% – cream or ointment;
• Deoxymethasone 0.05% – fatty cream.

Drugs from this group are prescribed in cases where drugs from group I have proven ineffective.

Group III – active

• Advantan (or methylprednisolone aceponate 0.1%) – cream;
• Cutivate – cream;
• Akriderm, Celederm, Kuterid – ointment and cream;
• Sinalar (or Flucort, Sinaflan, Flucinar, Sinoderm);
• Triamcinolone acetonide 0.1% – cream or ointment;
• Apulein – cream or ointment;
• Elokom – lotion, cream or ointment;
• Betamethasone valerate 0.1% – lotion, cream or ointment;
• Fluorcinoid 0.05% – cream or ointment;
• Fluorolorolone acetonide 0.025% – cream or ointment;
• Hydrocortisone butyrate 0.1% – lotion, cream or ointment.

Drugs from this group are prescribed for chronic dermatitis and when it is necessary to quickly act on the skin lesion. They should not be used for a long time, as they quickly begin to cause side effects.

Group IV – highly active

• Galcinonide – cream;
• Dermovate – cream or ointment;
• Diflucortolone valerate 0.3% – fatty cream or ointment.

Drugs from this group can only be used under the constant supervision of a doctor! They cause the maximum number of adverse reactions, because they are able to penetrate into the deep layers of the skin and blood.

The use of hormonal ointments for dermatological diseases is sometimes necessary and their use cannot always be abandoned. If you experience redness, soreness of the skin, increased hair growth or loss, or other unusual skin symptoms, you should definitely consult your doctor. It should also be remembered that self-medication with hormonal ointments or their improper use harms not only the skin, but can also affect general health.

Which doctor should I contact?

To prescribe hormonal drugs and if their side effects occur, you should consult a dermatologist. If long-term use of hormones has caused increased blood pressure, excessive hair growth, frequent infectious diseases and other systemic side effects, you need to consult an endocrinologist and check the function of the adrenal glands.

They help visually hide skin imperfections and even out skin texture. In addition, they make the skin bloom, masking signs of fatigue. Therefore, the benefits of such cosmetic products are many times greater than the harm.

Myths about foundation

The most common opinion is that foundation creams clog pores and provoke the appearance of spots and spots. But this is a pure misconception, because modern products do not contain dangerous rough particles that harm the skin. Foundations consist of a silicone base and tiny particles - powder of the desired shade. Therefore, the cream forms a thin mesh on the skin, through which oxygen enters the cells.

You can use foundation to disguise freckles, spider veins, bruises and fine wrinkles. For this purpose, correctors of green, yellow and other shades are used.

It is also often believed that foundation creams contribute to aging and dehydration of the skin. In fact, these decorative cosmetics contain nourishing oils, vitamins and other beneficial substances that moisturize the skin and protect it. But to do this, when choosing a product, you need to take into account your skin type and buy a high-quality cream.

For dry skin, a foundation with a moisturizing effect is optimal; it should be quite thick or in the form of a mousse. If you have oily skin, you should buy a cream with a minimum oil content so that your face does not become shiny.

How does foundation affect the skin?

Foundations can even help fight inflammation and acne. To have a positive effect on problem skin, creams include salicylic acid and triclosan, which relieve redness.

However, when using foundation creams, problems can still occur, but only if the skin is not cleansed well enough after makeup. It is harmful to leave cosmetics on overnight; you need to wash your face thoroughly before going to bed and use a tonic.

You can only be afraid of the negative effects of foundation on the skin in the summer; at this time of year it is better to opt for a moisturizing tinted product.

Foundations are believed to contribute to skin aging. By familiarizing yourself with the composition of cosmetics, you can make sure that the products protect your skin from the harmful effects of sunlight. It is their effect that provokes the appearance of wrinkles, and foundations protect the epidermis due to the content of filters. Antioxidants included in decorative cosmetics also help fight the first wrinkles. They have a beneficial effect on skin health.

The first widely used sunscreen came out in 1944, called Red Vet Pet. It was a red sticky substance similar to Vaseline that acted as a physical blocker and had limited effectiveness. Now there is a huge selection of sunscreen options on the market, but what is remarkable is that we know that sunscreens protect against burns, but we know very little about how safe they are.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) systematically publishes its research on the effects of sunscreens and guidelines for their use. Their research reveals a number of alarming facts that may prompt some to avoid using sunscreen altogether. However, researchers still recommend using sunscreen as an additional, not primary means of sun protection.

An ideal sunscreen should completely block ultraviolet rays, which lead to tanning, suppress the immune system and cause free radicals. It should stay on the skin for several hours and work well without producing harmful chemicals. It should smell good and apply well. However, creams that combine all these characteristics simply do not exist. What are the harms of sunscreens?

Sunscreen does not prevent skin cancer

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said in 2007 that there is no evidence that sunscreens are effective in preventing skin cancer.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) does not recommend the use of sunscreen as primary protection against solar radiation or as a preventative measure against skin cancer. It is preferable to use clothing, hats and shade.

There is evidence that sunscreens may increase the risk of the deadliest form of skin cancer.

Some researchers have found an increased risk of melanoma among people who use sunscreen.

Scientists theorize that after applying sunscreen, people stay in the sun longer and therefore absorb more radiation overall.

Many people wear sunscreen before going to the beach and calmly sunbathe, believing that their skin is reliably protected. However, these assumptions are often very far from the truth. And that's why.

Many sunscreens contain anti-inflammatory agents that can prevent your skin from showing signs of sunburn, even if applied after returning indoors from the beach. In the absence of pain from a sunburn, a person using sunscreen may mistakenly assume that the cream completely protects the skin from the harmful effects of UV-B rays, when in fact it is just a chemical effect and is essentially a trick.

Scientists also attribute this to the release of free radicals due to reactions of chemicals in the cream under the influence of sunlight.

Free radicals are highly reactive molecules that actively interact with proteins, lipids and genetic material of cells, which can damage DNA and skin cells, contribute to skin aging and cause skin cancer.

Another guess: Over the past 30 years, the market has been dominated by products with poor UVA protection.

Mid-wave UVB rays are the leading cause of sunburn and precancerous DNA mutations. However, UV-A rays, whose intensity varies slightly throughout the day and depends little on the time of year, cause more subtle damage. They penetrate deeper into the skin tissue and also lead to the formation of free radicals.

No evidence that high SPF products are better

Theoretically, using sunscreen with a sun protection factor of SPF 100, a person can sunbathe 100 times longer than without applying it and not get sunburned. Those. If a person, as a rule, turns red after 30 minutes of exposure to the midday sun, then with the cream he can remain under it for 50 hours.

But for high SPF products, theory and reality are two different things. Many studies show that high SPF misleads people into using high SPF products incorrectly and as a result exposing themselves to more UV radiation than people using lower SPF products.

Sunlight plays a vital role in the functioning of the body, since its presence is the main condition for the production of vitamin D. This vitamin is of great importance for human health: it strengthens bones and the immune system, reduces the risk of various types of cancer (including breast, colon , kidneys and ovaries), it also affects at least 1000 different genes that regulate almost all tissues in the body. Sunscreen is a vitamin D inhibitor, i.e. it slows down or prevents its production in the body.

Vitamin A in sunscreen may speed up cancer development

Scientists suggest that retinol palmitate, a form of vitamin A applied to the skin, may accelerate the development of skin cancer when exposed to sunlight. The scientific evidence is not one hundred percent irrefutable, but this conclusion raises concerns. Vitamin A is found in 20% of sunscreens and 12% of daily facial care products.

Vitamin A is an antioxidant and manufacturers add it because they believe it slows down the aging process of the skin. This may be true for products used indoors and at night. However, scientists have recently discovered the photocarcinogenic properties of vitamin A, i.e. properties of accelerating the development of cancerous tumors when this substance is applied to the skin and exposed to sunlight.

Active ingredients in sunscreens

There are two types of active ingredients in sunscreens: mineral and chemical. They have different mechanisms to protect the skin and maintain stability in sunlight. But both types can pose a danger to human health. To use a cream with a minimum amount of harmful ingredients, you can make it yourself from available products; information on making creams with your own hands can be found in.

The most common sunscreens on the market contain chemical filters. These products typically include two to six active ingredients, usually: oxybenzone, avobenzone, octisalate, octocrylene, homosalate and octinoxate. Laboratory studies show that some of these chemicals can disrupt the hormonal system. Some animal studies suggest that oxybenzone and other chemicals in sunscreens may be toxic to the reproductive system or interfere with normal development. Another component, 4-methylbenzidyl camphor, used in European products, also leads to disruption of the hormonal system.

In mineral sunscreens Zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide are used. Some products contain a combination of mineral and chemical filters. Mineral sunscreens are generally considered safer than chemical sunscreens. However, it is important that manufacturers use forms of minerals that are coated with inert chemicals to reduce photoactivity. Without this, free radicals can be released when applied to the skin and when interacting with other chemicals in the cream.

Sunlight is necessary for humans; it ensures the synthesis of vitamin D. Moderate exposure to the sun stimulates and alleviates the course of many diseases. However, excess sunlight leads to premature aging of the skin and causes other unfavorable changes, leading to the formation of cancerous tumors. Noble ladies of the past knew that shady tree foliage, clothing, hats and gloves were the best means of protecting their beauty. We also need to remember this and use these simple remedies more than sunscreens, and try to find a balance between too short and too long exposure to the sun.

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Ecological problems of the ocean. 5 threats to the future Deforestation is one of the environmental problems in Russia

Candidate of Biological Sciences Anna Margolina, Redmond (USA).

Photo by Igor Konstantinov.

Ultraviolet, visible light and infrared rays penetrate the skin to different depths. The numbers on the arrows show what proportion of radiation reaches the epidermis, basal cell layer and dermis.

Science has proven quite convincingly that excess ultraviolet radiation (UV) causes premature aging and skin cancer (including its most dangerous form, melanoma). Therefore, in both Europe and the United States, people now rarely dare to go to the beach without covering themselves head to toe with sunscreen. Gradually, this custom is taking root in Russia, which has recently been willingly picking up Western trends in the field of a healthy lifestyle.

Meanwhile, there is now more and more reason to assert that sunbathing with sunscreen is sometimes no less, and sometimes even more dangerous, than roasting in the sun without any protection. After all, it is in the USA and Europe, where sunscreens have been used for quite a long time, that over the past three decades there has been an increase in the incidence of all forms of skin cancer. If in the early 1970s the incidence of melanoma among the white population of the United States was six cases out of every 10 thousand people, then by the early 2000s it had tripled. In Europe, the incidence of melanoma increased almost fivefold over the same time period. Three hypotheses have been proposed to explain this sad fact. According to the first, the current increase in the incidence of skin cancer is a retribution for the craze for the sun in the 1960-1970s, since more than one decade can pass between the initial DNA damage and the development of a tumor. Proponents of the second hypothesis blame sunscreens and the chemicals they contain. Finally, the third hypothesis is that it is not sunscreens themselves, but the way we use them that turns them from skin protectors into a risk factor.

TAN AND VANITY

It all started in the 1960s, when white-skinned Caucasians suddenly began to try with all their might to change the color of their skin, which until recently they were so proud of. The driving force behind this desire was ordinary human vanity. Before the Industrial Revolution, a large percentage of the population was employed in agriculture, so labor and poverty were associated with sunburned skin, indicating long hours spent in the fields, under the open sky. However, in the post-war period (1950s), more and more people began to work in factories and plants where the sun's rays did not penetrate. Now it was pale, pigmentless skin that became evidence of the need to earn a living through hard work, while tanning was associated with idleness, sun-drenched tennis courts and tropical beaches.

However, it turned out that changing skin color, even temporarily, is not so easy. Some people succeeded quite quickly, while others had to subject their skin to painful tests - as soon as you spent a little more time in the sun, you could get a sunburn, which negated all efforts to acquire the desired tan, as the skin after the burn peeled off.

It was these sufferers that the cosmetic industry offered a new product - cosmetics that protected against burns, but did not interfere with tanning. Thanks to new products, even people who were endowed by nature with pale, poorly tanning skin could spend long hours on the beach, eventually achieving the desired tan. As it turned out, this was exactly what should not have been done.

THE ABC'S OF ULTRAVIOLET

Ultraviolet radiation that reaches the Earth through the sun's rays can be divided into two types - UVA and UVB. The fundamental difference between them is the radiation energy and the depth of penetration into the dermis. UV-B carries a lot of energy, so it quickly causes a burn. It was this type of radiation that was blocked by the first sunscreens, and it was for a long time considered the most dangerous. However, it is now known that UVB does not penetrate deeply and any damage it causes to the skin usually does not have far-reaching consequences. The burned skin first becomes covered with blisters, then comes off in patches, and with it those cells that have dangerous DNA damage are removed.

The situation is completely different with ultraviolet A, which was initially considered beneficial because it causes a tan but does not have enough energy to burn the skin. But it turned out that it is UV-A that can penetrate into the deep layers of the epidermis and dermis and damage biological molecules. If previously people could not sunbathe for too long because their skin would burn, and usually received only temporary, superficial damage, then with the advent of the era of sunscreens that protected the skin from UV-B radiation, many began to lie on the beach for hours, being exposed to prolonged exposure to radiation UVA.

WHAT IS ULTRAVIOLET DANGEROUS?

Both UV-B and UV-A rays can be absorbed by biological molecules and cause photochemical reactions that produce free radicals - unstable, highly reactive molecules that are missing one electron and are very willing to undergo chemical reactions.

You could say that a free radical is like a young reveler who has no moral obligations and jumps at the opportunity to have an affair. And if such an “immoral” radical comes into contact with a “respectable” molecule, then the latter will turn into a free radical and begin to cause confusion in the strict harmony of chemical reactions. In particular, UV-A radiation penetrating deep into the skin can convert collagen molecules, a protein that ensures smoothness and elasticity of the skin, into free radicals. As a result, collagen fibers bind together, forming clumps of defective, inelastic collagen, which gradually leads to the appearance of characteristic skin irregularities and wrinkles. They, formed under the influence of UV radiation, appear noticeably ahead of schedule, long before the skin begins to age for natural reasons. Even more serious are the consequences of the free radical transformation of DNA: two parts of the DNA molecule that have become radicals can contact one another, thereby introducing confusion into the genetic code of the cell. Over time, cells that have received DNA damage can develop into malignant tumors.

SPF IS AN UNRELIABLE INDICATOR

In the 1990s, broad-spectrum sunscreens finally became available, meaning ones that protected not only from UV-B radiation, but also from UV-A radiation. There was a problem here. People wanted to tan because tanned skin was still considered beautiful. But if you apply a sunscreen that does not transmit either UVA or UVB to your skin, you will not get any tan. Beachgoers dreaming of a “safe” tan began to especially value sunscreens that had reassuringly high SPF (sun protection factor) values. The fact that even with sunscreens with high SPF values, a tan appeared (albeit slower than without protection) for some reason did not alarm anyone. But in vain, because in fact the SPF value is a very unreliable indicator of the effectiveness of protection.

SPF allows you to evaluate how much this product slows down the appearance of the first redness of the skin under the influence of UV radiation. For example, if without sunscreen redness appears after 20 minutes, then with sunscreen having an SPF of 10, redness will appear after 200 minutes. Since redness of the skin occurs only under the influence of UV-B radiation, the sun protection factor only indicates the effectiveness of UV-B protection.

Many sunscreen manufacturers now indicate on their packaging the degree of protection against UVA radiation using a five-star system: the more stars, the better the protection. But for now, SPF remains the most well-known and popular performance indicator, which is why consumers pay attention to it. At the same time, few people realize that a sunscreen that has a high SPF, and therefore reliably protects the skin from sunburn, does not necessarily block the path of UVA radiation as effectively. As a result, people can lull themselves into a sense of security and get the coveted tan... with all the ensuing consequences.

UNSAFE COCKTAIL

Decades of intrusive advertising of sunscreens have led people, especially in the West, to view them as an essential part of spending time at the beach. However, let's think about what, in fact, they are offering us? And they suggest that we smear ourselves with preparations containing various chemicals and expose this cocktail on our skin to the sun’s rays. At the same time, it is somehow self-evident that these substances do not react either with the skin or with solar radiation, do not penetrate into the blood under any conditions and, in general, demonstrate complete inertia and reliability. But that's not true.

Sunscreens contain UV filters (also called UV absorbers), substances that reduce the amount of UV radiation reaching the skin. Those UV filters that contain particles that reflect and scatter UV radiation are called physical or inorganic UV filters. These include zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. Physical UV filters do not cause allergies or irritate the skin, and also have a wide spectrum of action - they block both UVA and UVB radiation. In the past, physical UV filters contained large, insoluble particles, causing them to turn the skin white. Now the particles of physical UV filters have begun to be made very small - in the micro- and even nano-range, so that they no longer stain the skin.

Another group of UV filters includes substances that can absorb UV radiation due to the characteristics of their chemical structure. They are called organic or chemical UV filters. Organic UV filters make it possible to create products with a protection factor of up to 100 and even higher; they are convenient to include in a variety of cosmetic forms - creams, gels, sprays, lotions, etc., to impregnate clothes with them, and also to add them to decorative cosmetics, shampoos and hairsprays. But not all of these substances are safe for the skin.

First of all, organic UV filters quite often cause allergies and skin irritation. In addition, some organic UV filters may be photoreactive. This means that if such UV filters are exposed to ultraviolet light for long enough, they begin to break down, sometimes releasing free radicals. This means that after a certain time of irradiation, more free radicals will be formed in the skin “protected” by such UV filters than in unprotected skin.

It has now become known that a number of organic UV filters also have hormonal effects. It has been revealed that they can cause sex change and developmental disorders of the genital organs in fish, shellfish and other aquatic inhabitants. It is still unclear to what extent the hormonal effects of UV filters are manifested in the human body, but it is already obvious that these substances cannot be called safe and inert.

Perhaps the most shocking fact is that UV filters can penetrate the bloodstream and accumulate in the body. For example, according to a recent US study, the common UV filter benzophenone-3 (oxybenzone), found in many sunscreens, was found in 96% of more than 2,000 urine samples taken from Americans of varying ethnic origins, ages and gender. At the same time, in the bodies of women, especially young women, the content of oxybenzone was on average three times higher than in the bodies of men, and in the blood of white Americans it was seven times higher than in African Americans.

NATURAL PROTECTION

If not sunscreen - then what? Let's start with the fact that human skin is not at all as defenseless against UV radiation as sunscreen manufacturers try to imagine. You just need to treat this protection reasonably and not make unreasonable demands on it. For example, if a construction helmet can withstand the impact of a falling brick, this does not mean that it is impenetrable. Therefore, if you have the whim to put on a helmet and hit yourself on the head with a crowbar, you only have yourself to blame for the consequences. It’s the same with the skin’s protective systems. There is no need to overexert them.

The main protector of the skin is the dark pigment melanin. Moreover, the darker the initial (genetically predetermined) skin pigmentation, the more effective the protection. People with dark skin tend to tan well and rarely burn. With insufficient melanin production, a person burns easily and has difficulty achieving at least some tan. Therefore, if you have fair skin that burns easily, then you need to be careful with the sun's rays, regardless of whether you put on sunscreen or not. If you have dark skin, you can rely on the protective effect of your own skin pigment. However, too long and intense UV radiation can damage and cover even the skin of Negroids with wrinkles and age spots. And even blacks get melanoma. True, much less often than among white people.

The thinner the skin is, the more damaged it becomes. Therefore, as a rule, women's and children's skin suffers more from UV radiation. It is especially dangerous to expose the skin of infants under one year to excessive UV irradiation. True, short sunbathing in the morning will not harm and, on the contrary, will help the production of the necessary vitamin D.

Another line of defense is antioxidants - substances that neutralize free radicals. They are contained in the stratum corneum of the skin and are also secreted onto its surface with sebum. It is worth remembering that many antioxidants are vitamins that are not produced in the body and must be obtained from food. An excellent source of antioxidants are vegetables, fruits and berries, green tea.

If the protection did not work and the skin cells were damaged by the sun, then all is not lost, since the skin can correct a significant part of the damage. One of these life-saving reactions is the well-known “peeling” of the skin after a sunburn. This “skin change” helps the body get rid of cells with damaged DNA that could otherwise give rise to cancer.

WHO IS TO BLAME AND WHAT TO DO?

As we can see, there are many reasons why the era of sunscreens has simultaneously become an era of an unprecedented increase in the incidence of skin cancer. The fact that between the 1970s and 1990s, most sun lovers either did not use sunscreen at all or used UVB protection, which only contributed to longer stays at the beach without reducing the risk of skin damage, played a role. . Along with this, the presence of substances in sunscreens that can potentially increase skin damage also plays a certain role. But most importantly, this is still the paradoxical behavior of people who continue to strive for the desired tan, despite all the warnings of scientists and doctors.

Of course, humans need sunlight. Ultraviolet light ensures the synthesis of vitamin D, which is not only important for the proper formation of bones and muscles, but also plays a significant role in the prevention of malignant tumors, maintaining heart, liver and kidney health, as well as endocrine balance. Sunlight falling on the retina of the eye causes the formation of the natural antidepressant melatonin. Moderate UV irradiation stimulates skin immunity (excess UV suppresses it) and alleviates the course of many skin diseases.

But too much sun exposure can prematurely age your skin and cause other adverse changes. Our great-grandmothers knew about this without any research, they just saw the dark, wrinkled faces of peasant women working in the open air. Protection from the sun was then provided by shady trees, wide-brimmed hats and gloves that covered the arms up to the elbows. Nowadays, it is quite possible to use sunscreens with low SPF values ​​for the same purpose. However, if you absolutely want to get at least a little tan, exercise reasonable caution - avoid the sun during midday hours, increase your time on the beach gradually, starting with 5-10 minutes a day, and with or without sunscreen, do not expose your skin for too long.

“Science and Life” about sun protection