7 lies about sunscreen

Women know they should wear sunscreen every day of the year, but only 31% do, according to a recent prevention.com poll. And many of those who skip SPF feel guilty about it-so much so that 31% admit they've fibbed about putting on sunscreen because they're embarrassed about their bad habit. So what gives? If we all know that sunscreen helps protect our skin and prevent signs of ageing such as spots and wrinkles, why aren't more of us using it? To find out, Prevention asked dermatologists to share some of the most common excuses women give for going outdoors unprotected. Read on and you'll discover there's really no good reason to skimp on sunscreen-you'll be healthier (and younger looking!) if you use it.

Excuse #1
The chemicals in sunscreen are probably more dangerous than sun exposure.

Reality check
Sunscreens have gotten some bad press lately, including claims that they contain cancer-causing ingredients. But a recently published review of the studies on which these claims are based should ease fears.

"Many of the safety concerns are not well founded-they're based on petridish or animal data that doesn't relate to humans," says Steven Wang, MD, director of dermatologic surgery at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, and co-author of the review. For example, in one study, mice fed a whopping dose of oxybenzone, a UV-light absorber commonly found in sunscreens, exhibited oestrogenic effects, which researchers believe could cause cancer cells to grow more rapidly.

But by Wang's calculations, it would take more than 250 years for someone who uses sunscreen daily to be exposed to the amount of oxybenzone used in the study. Still worried? Use a natural sunscreen like Kama Ayurveda Sunscreen which is enriched with natural ingredients like aloe vera, olive oil and pure essential oils of nutmeg, ginger and lime. It is also free of parabens, artificial fragrances or colours, mineral oils and petroleum-based ingredients. Also try Aroma Magic Cucumber Sunscreen with extracts of cucumber, green tea and jojoba oil, cooling the skin while offering sun protection.