Diana dares to ask: Do cheap sunglasses provide the same amount of UV ray protection as more expensive sunglasses? Does it matter? I understand the FDA does not regulate this (not that I think they should…) but how can we tell if the shades we’re buying will protect our eyes or potentially harm them?

The Right Brain’s squinty replay:

This is a very important question Diane! Ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun can burn your skin AND the corneas and conjunctivas of your eyes. Plus, long-term UV exposure can lead to eye disease like cataracts (clouding of the lens) and macular degeneration (breakdown of the macula) Sunglasses that block this UV light are a great way to help protect your vision, but you don’t need to spend a bundle to do it.

Good guidelines

You’re right that the FDA doesn’t regulate sunglasses. But the American National Standards Institute has set some guidelines that can help you pick the right pair. They say that glasses should block UVB by 99% and UVA radiation by 95 percent. Here’s the important part - the glasses should indicate the level of protection they provide. If the glasses aren’t labeled with a specific UV claim then DON’T BUY THEM because it’s impossible to know how much protection they will provide. And don’t assume that “special” lenses block UV. Blue blockers, polycarbonate, and polarized lenses may block SOME UV light but without special coatings these lenses DO NOT meet the UV minimum blockage requirements. Make sure the glasses are clearly labeled with the type of protection the offer.

What to look for

Look for these voluntary industry labels that (hopefully) manufacturers are using:

• “Cosmetic” = 70% UV reduction
• “General purpose” = 95% UV reduction
• “Special purpose” = 99% UV reduction
• “UV-400″ and “UV absorption up to 400nm” = 99% to 100% UV reduction

Also, you should know that the UV protectant coating doesn’t have a color, so don’t be tricked into thinking that darker lenses provde better protection. Also, remember that the tint or color of the lens doesn’t matter.

Cost is not critical

UV labeling is what you should look for, not a high price tag. We quote the Glaucoma Research Institute

The good news is that sunglasses don’t have to be expensive to protect your eyes and they can often be found at the local drugstore. Unfortunately, a high price is not always a guarantee of high quality and protection. Part of the difficulty is that standards and labeling regarding UV protection are voluntary, not mandatory-and can be confusing.

The Beauty Brains bottom line

Don’t be cheated by Chanel, fooled by Fendi, or duped by Donna Karin. Look for proper UV labeling and save some money!

What do YOU think? Do you buy expensive sunglasses because you think they work better? Leave a comment for the rest of Beauty Brains community.

References:
Mayo Clinic
Glaucoma Research Institut

Renee requests: Does the light that comes from your computer screen cause any kind of UV damage???

Mid Brain Removes the Shades:

No.

Computer screens do not emit UV light so there is no need to worry about UV damage. They emit visible light which is not harmful to skin. Rest assured that the hours spent in front of your computer perusing the Beauty Brains archives will not contribute to facial lines and wrinkles.

For more info, see what the Physics society has to say about it.

Andrea’s stumped by sunscreen: I was shopping today and realized just how many sunscreen options are available today. Neutrogena has a whole line of face sunscreens with SPF ranging from 45-80! How do I know how much SPF I really need?

Fore Brain’s fast answer:

The quick answer is that SPF (aka Sun Protection Factor) is generally a multiplier of your skin’s ability to resist burning. So if normally your skin burns after 12 minutes of sun exposure, applying sunscreen with an SPF 10 will increase the exposure time to 120 mins before you will get burned. This should help you pick out a proper SPF for your skin. Unfortunately sunscreen quality isn’t all in the SPF, so read on for other factors you should look for in a good sunscreen.

UVA UVB UVWhat?

Sunlight in outer space is composed of radioactive rays, which get filtered out by the atmosphere layers of the Earth. Of all the dangerous rays that the sun emits, the only ones that reach our skin are the UV rays. These rays fall into many categories but the ones we care about when discussing skin damage are UVA and UVB.

When they reach our skin, UVB rays stimulate Vitamin D production, appearance of moles, and can lead to sunburn with overexposure. There are more UVB rays in sunlight in the summertime when the sun is closer to the earth. UVA rays, are not as well known as UVB, and are responsible for tanning of the skin, as well as negative effects of sun exposure like as skin ageing and melanoma (a dangerous type of skin cancer). Unlike UVB, UVA rays are generally present at consistent levels throughout the year.

How do we protect ourselves from UVA and UVB?

This is where sunscreen comes in. Developed in the mid 1900s the aim of sunscreen is to limit sun overexposure and therefore minimize the negative effects and risks associated with sunbathing. The SPF rating that comes on sunscreen bottles is determined by an FDA required in vivo test which involves exposing volunteers’ skin to the sun until it sunburns and then evaluating the protection factor that the sunscreen gave that skin. The general rule is that the SPF is the multiplier of your skin’s normal resistance to sunburn, so if normally your skin would be sunburned after 12 minutes of direct sun exposure, with proper application of and SPF10 sunscreen, it will only get sunburned after 120 minutes.

A note about SPF ratings though. Some studies have shown that sunscreen’s protection factor doesn’t rise as evenly above SPF30 as it does in the ratings below. So for a long time sunscreens in the US were only allowed to be labelled 30+ because the numbers above 30 don’t represent sunscreen’s effectiveness the same way that SPFs 30 and below do. Recently this number has been raised to 50; however, you do need to keep in mind that still SPF50 isn’t twice as good as SPF25 as the number might have you believe.

But what about UVA?

Unfortunately, since the SPF test is mainly for the sunburn prevention properties of sunscreen, and those arise only from UVB, the official FDA test doesn’t shed any light onto how much UVA protection a sunscreen provides. Currently there are several skin pigmentation change tests available to test UVA activity and protection (since tanning is a result of the UVA rays stimulating melanin production and release), but they are not a requirement for sunscreen labelling in the United States. This is quite unfortunate, since UVA rays cause more long-term damage to skin like ageing and melanoma which is quite dangerous.

If you do want UVA protection in your sunscreen, look for products labelled as UVA/UVB broad spectrum, and don’t forget to check the ingredients; zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, avobenzone, and ecamsule (aka Mexoryl) are all effective at blocking UVA and have been approved by the FDA.

The Beauty Brains bottom line

So what is the recommendation here? In my research of sunscreen ingredients, I was very disappointed to come across many theories of some sunscreen compounds being carcinogenic, photomutagens, and reactive oxygen species, meaning that upon deep penetration into the skin they can cause some serious harm to us. This, combined with the fact that many sunscreens are poor UVA blockers, means that sunscreen doesn’t give us the ultimate sun protection which we have all come to rely on so heavily. So my recommendation is this: Try to find a facial moisturizer with UVA blocking compounds I listed above to use year-round to avoid signs of skin ageing, pick a skintype-appropriate sunscreen containing both UVA and UVB protection for the summer, and remember: the best way to minimize skin damage associated with sun exposure is to avoid it all together so wear clothing to shield your skin since the best sun block is a physical one.

Fun Fact: UV rays can be used to kill bacteria and are sometimes used to disinfect drinking water.

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunscreen

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=46376

http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/special/sunscreens/summary.php

Hansona, K.M., Grattonb, E., Bardeena, C.J., (2006) Sunscreen enhancement of UV-induced reactive oxygen species in the skin. Free radical biology and medicine, 41, (1205-1212).

Sandy says:
I was reading this article at National Geographic and wondered what kind of sunscreen you recommend that won’t kill the coral reefs.  Can you help?  And is this really a problem?

Right Brain retorts:

Who doesn’t love the colorful and diverse ecosystem found at coral reefs? Even a logician like Left Brain can appreciate the beauty of these sites. Unfortunately, coral reefs are dying around the world. There are a variety of reasons like coastal development, overfishing, pollution and global climate change which individuals have little ability to change.  However, the article you cite says some environmental scientists think the sunscreen you use may also be killing these systems.

Death by sunscreen

According to a recent paper published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, certain sunscreen ingredients have been shown to cause destruction of the coral reefs. In their experiments, they showed that chemicals like parabens, ethylhexylmethoxycinnamate, benzophenone-3 and 4-methylbenzylidene camphor induce a viral infection of algae living in the corals which leads to bleaching. The authors go on to say that 4000 - 6000 tons of sunscreen is washed off beach goers annually and that this may be part of the problem. They recommend avoiding sunscreens that contain ingredients harmful to coral.

Not all scientists are convinced

While most of the media will report this as definitive news, some scientists question the conclusions made by this limited study. Specifically, they have four primary criticisms.

1. Concentration issues. The amount of chemicals shown to have an effect is over 10x that which is likely to occur in seawater around reefs.
2. No detection. They didn’t actually test the water near coral reefs for sunscreen chemicals.
3. No correlations. Researchers haven’t shown a correlation between popular sunbathing/snorkeling reefs and bleaching levels. If it were a problem caused by people’s sunscreens, places with more people would have more bleaching than those with less. They don’t.
4. Forgot pollution. They also forgot that the same chemicals are found in other personal care products that get washed down the drain and eventually end up in the ocean. Sunscreen use may be a much smaller contributor.

So, your sunscreen use may not be as much of a problem as the original paper’s authors suggest. Don’t you just love science?

Beauty Brains bottom line:

Right now there is not enough information to tell whether sunscreens are really killing coral reefs. The effect is probably overblown in this paper. However, there is proof that some ingredients can theoretically harm them, so if you want to remove this as a concern for you, avoid sunscreens that contain the following (if you’re going anywhere near a coral reef).

Butylparaben
Methylparaben
Ethylhexylmethoxycinnamate
Benzophenone-3
4-methylbenzylidene camphor

Instead, consider using products that contain zinc oxide or titanium dioxide.

Jessica’s asking about aging: It seems to me that the best way to keep my skin looking great and wrinkle-free would be to prevent as much aging as possible, as opposed to trying to reverse the process when I’m older. Other than sunscreen, what kinds of products should I be using at this point (I’m 25) to keep my skin looking young?

The Left Brain’s rejuvenating reply:
This is a great beauty question and one that we see asked more and more. The proliferation of anti-aging products has gotten so extensive, you’d think cosmetic marketers want us all to revert to 3-year olds. And with some of the claims made, they certainly treat us like that is the age of our intelligence.

The Anti-Aging Secrets for your Skin

You want to know what’s been proven to work? Here it is…

Sun Protection
First, protect your skin from the sun. This is the number one environmental cause of skin aging. Do this by minimizing your sun exposure and using sunscreen.

Eat Well
Next, eat a balanced diet. While everyone is different, this meta-review study on skin health and diet concluded that people who had higher intake of Vitamin C and linoleic acid and lower intakes of fats and carbohydrates had younger looking skin. You get linoleic acid by eating vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains and seeds.

Exercise
Finally, exercise. Nothing keeps you looking and feeling young like regular exercise. Thousands of studies have shown that physical exercise is a highly effective way to treat all all signs of aging.

Anti-aging Treatments

Most scientists are skeptical of anti-aging treatments. This is because there is little published evidence from controlled clinical trials to show most anti-aging products have any benefit. You could say this is because private companies don’t want to make their research public, but if they did have meaningful, positive results you can be sure the PR arm of the company would crow about this where ever they could.

We’ve seen previously that price is not indicative of the effectiveness of an anti-aging skin treatment. The conclusion was that none of the products were as effective as claimed.

Does any treatment work?
The only thing that scientists and reputable dermatologists agree on is that application of topical retinoids can repair sun damaged skin and prevent future collagen damage. Oh yeah, and they all say using sunscreen is a good thing.

Beyond that, forget about it. Yes, that includes the $95 Perricone Restorative Cream. Vitamin C works when you eat it, not when you slather it on your skin.

Lasers for your skin?
Recently, lasers and LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) have been shown to effectively rejuvenate photoaged skin. Cosmetic surgeons have been making lots of money from these treatments and the big cosmetic manufacturers like P&G and L’Oreal are trying to bring you this same treatment at home. But the technology isn’t quite ready. Products you can buy right now like the Beurer Softlaser will likely disappoint.

The Beauty Brains bottom line

Scientists in the anti-aging field (who are not trying to sell you products) agree, anti-aging products are over-priced and under-deliver. For a 20-something, the best thing you can do is eat right, exercise and avoid long sun exposure. If you’re a bit older, start using skin products that contain vitamin A derivatives. They’re the only thing that has yet been proven to be effective.

Nadine needs to know: What’s this I hear about Broccoli as a potential topical UV Protectant? Is there any promise for broccoli as a sunscreen?

The Right Brain vegges out:

Yes, Nadine, it looks like broccoli joins our list of natural cosmetic ingredients that really work. According to Science Daily, broccoli extract can protect skin from UV radiation.

Broccoli, so good you don’t have to eat it

Researchers at Johns Hopkins discovered that broccoli contains a type of chemical known as a sulforaphane that has certain anti-tumor properties. They tested this extract by topically applying it to skin (on both humans and mice) and found that it reduced the degree of erythema (skin redness), which is a sign of damage caused by UV radiation.

How does it work?

According to investigator Paul Talalay, M.D., professor of pharmacology, this sulforaphane works by a mechanism that’s entirely different from sunscreens. Sunscreens work on the surface of your skin and either absorb or block sunlight so the UV radiation doesn’t get to your skin cells. Sulforaphane works inside your skin to boost the production of protective enzymes. These enzymes continue to protect your skin for several days, even after the sulforaphane is gone!

Does this mean we could see a bunch of broccoli based beauty balms? And more importantly, will they be all green and gooky and smell like vegetables? And while we’re at it, is Broccoli related to E. coli? So many question, so few answers…

If there was a natural sunscreen that really worked but it was messy and smelled bad would you use it? Or would you stick with your Ombrelle? Leave a comment and let the rest of the Beauty Brains community know what you think.

While most fabrics protect you from the sun’s harmful UV rays, not all are created equal. According to researchers at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics there are three key differences that make some clothes better than others for preventing skin damage. These include…

1. Tighter weave or knit protects better.
2. Darker colors protect better.
3. Clothes labeled with an Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF)

Of course, clothes that cover more of your body are better too. For more on sun protecting clothes see what the Skin Cancer Foundation has to say. And for the parts that aren’t covered by clothes, be sure to use a SPF year round.

-Mid Brain

Sandra says: Can you please help me understand about sunscreen. I’ve read so many different opinions on Titanium Dioxide & Zinc Oxide being toxic. Now I hear about nano TiO2 & ZO. So the bottom line is should we use sunscreen or should we not? Or it is choosing the right brand? Is sunscreen really help us to prevent cancer or is it really just something that is being marketed?

The Right Brain Responds:
Sandra, the experts agree that sunscreen is one of the best ways to prevent skin cancer. So YES you should be using sunscreen to protect yourself. However, there is a bit of controversy around nanotechnology and titanium dioxide. Here’s the scoop:

Naughty nano?

It’s well known that TiO2 emits a photoelectron when exposed to UV light. Theoretically these free electrons can create peroxide radicals and other Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) that can cause damage to our precious DNA. DNA damage can lead to a host of problem, including skin cancer. This concern is primarily related to sunscreens that contain super-small Nano Particles of Ti02 because they can penetrate deeper into the skin.

Nice nano?

But according to a study conducted by Kerry Hanson, a research scientist at the University of California, Riverside, it’s not really clear whether or not these particles actually penetrate skin cells. To react with DNA, the TiO2 particles would have to not only penetrate the surface of the skin but also pass through the skin cells’ nuclear membrane. And, even if nano particles do go that deep into cells, we don’t know if UV light would actually reach them there. So the idea of Ti02 in sunscreen being dangerous is really just a theory at this point that hasn’t been studied well enough.

New nano?

The good news is that just in case this DOES turn out to be a serious problem, researchers have already found potential fix. Miriam Rafailovich at Stony Brook University, New York, US, and colleagues have found a way to coat TiO2 particles with a polymer that contains anti-oxidants derived from grape seed extracts. The coating effectively absorbs the photoelectron that is released by TiO2 and this prevents the dangerous Reactive Oxygen Species from forming. Sunscreens made using this technology should be safe beyond a shadow of a doubt. The Beauty Brains will keep you posted if we hear of any new developments. In the meantime, there are plenty of TiO2 sunscreens to chose from.

Source: Science Daily

Judy’s chaste question:
I understand from your previous article that DHA sunless tanners are dangerous because they don’t protect skin from UV. Are there any better sunless tanning ingredients?

The Right Brain’s celibate response:
DHA (short for Dihydroxyacetone) is still the safest, most widely used ingredient. But there is an herbal extract called chasteberry that, believe it or not, may actually help your skin tan.

What is a chasteberry?

Chasteberry is an herbal extract made from the fruit of the chaste tree. Originally from western Asia and southwestern Europe, the chaste tree can now be found throughout much of the southeastern United States.

The berry has been used for thousands of years for gynecologic conditions such as premenstrual syndrome (PMS), cyclical breast discomfort, and menstrual cycle irregularities. In medieval Europe, chasteberry was even taken by celibate monks who wanted to reduce their unwanted sexual libido. While modern medicine hasn’t proven it really does make you less horny, we’re still planning on sending a case of this stuff to our fellow Beauty Brain, Sarah Bellum, just in case.

Does it really provide a safer tan?

While the medical benefits of chasteberry can be debated, there is at least one study that indicates it may help you tan. (Cosmetics and Toiletries Magazine - July 2007, Vo 122, No. 7). Researchers have found that the extract can help induce melanin synthesis due to its beta-endorphin like properties. In other words, the extract stimulates your skin’s natural tanning mechanism without UV exposure. Unfortunately, the effect is so slight that you can barely see it with the naked eye. So it doesn’t look like this extract makes a very good sunless tanner. But they also found that when skin is treated with chasteberry extract and then exposed to sun, it tans better than with sun exposure alone.

We’re not aware of any chasteberry tanning creams on the market yet, but hopefully more research in this area will lead to new tanning accelerator products. In the meantime, stick to DHA and use a good ultra-sweat proof SPF 50 sunscreen.

Rachel slyly says…Supposedly, Gwyneth Paltrow is using the Ultra Lux 9 lotion by Sonya Dakar with snake venom. This review of snake oil’s benefits and lack there of, reminded me of it. Here’s a story about Gwyneth P. using snake venom as well. I’m very curious about your reaction.

Left Brain’s biting reply..My reaction is that Gwyneth is nuts! It sounds absolutely crazy that someone would put poison on their skin in hopes of getting rid of wrinkles.

Of course, that is just my initial emotional reaction which isn’t exactly useful for making an objective judgment. Unfortunately, the Beauty Brains don’t have a bottle of the Ultra Lux 9 lotion to look at the ingredients, so this opinion isn’t definitive.

However, after scouring through the latest scientific literature what I found was alarming. According to these Brazilian researchers, exposure to snake venom from either rattlesnakes or vipers has the following effects…

“Besides hemorrhage, snake venom metalloproteinase induce local myonecrosis, skin damage, and inflammatory reaction in experimental models.”

I certainly wouldn’t suggest putting that on my face!

How much snake venom?

Granted, we don’t know what kind of snake venom they use in the product. Heck, we don’t even know if they use any! If they do, it would be used at such low levels that it wouldn’t cause a toxic reaction (or have any other effect for that matter). How much is a low level? It would be like putting a single eye drop in an Olympic-sized swimming pool. Not even snake venom could hurt you at those low levels.

Why use snake venom in a skin product

You might wonder why they would put any snake venom in there at all. This is all about marketing. Pretty good marketing too as they got the New York Post, Style Dash, handbag.com, China Daily, Makeherup, a host of other beauty blogs, and now the Beauty Brains to talk about it. All this PR without a single dollar spent. Brilliant!

Of course, the reason people talk about it is because it’s something icky (snake venom), it’s “endorsed” by a celebrity, and it sounds plausible (people us botox right?) Well, rest assured Beauty Brainiacs this idea is just as crazy as it sounds.

Keep venom off your face and in the snake.