Here comes the sunscreen

It’s summertime and many of us are spending a lot more time in the sun. Sunburns, sun poisoning, and worst of all, skin cancer are some of the consequences from over exposure.

Here are a few tips to keep from getting fried:

• Be mindful of the time. The middle of the day, from about 10-3, is when the sun is most intense. The wind usually turns onshore midday also so early sessions have many benefits.
• Cover up. Sunscreens help tremendously but nothing beats a solid barrier between the rays and your skin. Wear a lycra (rashguard/sunshirt) or a t-shirt and a hat.
• Don’t neglect your eyes. When you aren’t in the water, wear quality sunglasses. There are all sorts of negative effects on the eyes, short and long term, including vision impairment and cataracts.

We have a pretty good selection of sunscreens and sunblocks at the shop. What’s the difference?

Sunblocks provide a physical barrier typically made of zinc or titanium dioxide. They protect from UVA and UVB rays. Until recently, sunblocks were very visible and did not blend into the skin but now, versions that blend in are available.

Sunscreens provide chemical protection from UVB rays, unless they are labeled broad spectrum, in which case they protect from UVA as well. This is important because both types of rays damage DNA which leads to skin cancer. Sunscreens blend into the skin better but begin to break down over time. Sunscreens are given Sun Protection Factor ratings that indicate how much protection they provide and how long they last. The higher the number, the more protection.

Finally, some products are mixtures of sunscreen and sunblocks. I recommend researching everything you put on your body and into the environment. Some people may have allergies to certain ingredients, and many ingredients in sunscreens are subject to controversy. Not only for their impact on the body but also on reefs. Check out Lauren Hill’s blog on this matter: The Sunscreen Debate.

Here are a few of the options we have at the Surf Station:

Face Sticks

The Head Hunter Face Stick works. I’ve used it in Hawaii in some of the most intense sun I’ve ever experienced and did not get burned. It has an enormous ingredients list, here are the active ones: homosalate 5%, Octinoxate 7.5%, Octocrylene 1.5%, Titanium Dioxide 10%, Zinc Oxide 10%. This is one is tinted tan so you don’t look have the typical mime-face associated with face sticks.

If you are looking for something simple, natural and eco-friendly, this face stick from Surf Vival is an excellent choice. It can be rubbed in to a point where it is almost invisible or left on thickly. I try to avoid tons of chemicals and I’ve used this stick for the past year, here in St. Augustine and in Australia, with good results (the thicker application works best I’ve found). The active ingredients are Zinc Oxide 2.5% and Titanium Dioxide 8%. The other ingredients are organic oils, and natural extracts.

The Vertra face stick is has an official recommendation from the Skin Cancer Foundation and is endorsed by many professional athletes, the most prominent being Shane Dorian who has his own signature tinted stick, Kona Gold. The active ingredients are Titanium Dioxide 17.4% and Padimate 0 7%. The Kona Gold/Shane Dorian stick doesn’t have Padimate and has a higher Titanium Dioxide content at 24.1%.

Zinka Nose Coat is probably the most fun of all sunblocks. It’s brightly colored and totally 80’s/early 90’s. It will stay on as long as you don’t wipe it off. It works really well but some might find the some of the ingredients to be irritating to the skin. The ingredients include Petrolatum (petroleum jelly), Zinc Oxide, Beeswax, Paraffin, Mineral Oil, Titanium Dioxide, BHA and different colors depending on which kind.

Sunscreens and sunblocks continued

Some people don’t like the mineral based sunblocks and face sticks. This Gel from Aloe Gator is a very effective alternative. It’s broadspectrum, goes on clear, and lasts for up to 8 hours. Although it says sunblock, if we examine the active ingredients, it turns out to be a chemically based sunscreen. The active ingredients are: Benzophenone-3 5.92%, Octinoxate 5.92%, Octisalate 4.96%, Octocrylene 8%.

Looking for plain old fashioned bottle of liquid sunscreen? Sun Bum is a new line with genius packaging. It is recommended by the Skin Cancer Foundation and boasts not to test on animals. Active ingredients are: Avobenzone, Homosalate, Octisalate, Octocrylene, Oxybenzone.

With the same active ingredients as the liquid Sun Bum, this comes in a convenient spray version for even application.

Another liquid sunblock, Smart Girls Who Surf (from the same makers as Surf-Vival), makes a more naturally based option. The active ingredients are Titanium dioxide 7% and Zinc Oxide 5%.