Sunscreen

[sailorboy1]

My brother left his SPF50 sport sunscreen on the boat the other day. So I put some on (we normally use 15 or 30) my face 1 sunny day. Later when I took off my sunglasses I looked like a football player with black polish under my eyes and forehead. Turns out the suncreem melted my glasses and stripped off the black paint on the frames. Sure makes me wonder how something that can strip paint could possibly be good for my skin!

[Zanshin]

If you think sunscreen is bad, take a look at what DEET (the insect repellant) does. I will melt plastic when used in higher concentrations.

[sarafina]

My favorite sunscreen;

Mine has a wire slid around the brim binding so I can shape it into a snazzy shape ; -)

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Don Lucas

My brother left his SPF50 sport sunscreen on the boat the other day. So I put some on (we normally use 15 or 30) my face 1 sunny day. Later when I took off my sunglasses I looked like a football player with black polish under my eyes and forehead. Turns out the suncreem melted my glasses and stripped off the black paint on the frames. Sure makes me wonder how something that can strip paint could possibly be good for my skin!

, vasoline and baby oil destroy latex coated work gloves. Salt is bad stuff too. And yet gasoline won't harm a steel fuel tank, but the water in it will. Go figure.

I'm not sure there is any science in this line of logic. Just observations of differet solvent behaviors.

[David M]

In chemistry we learned that likes dissolve likes, which is generally true.

Unless the FDA is completely incompetent, this line of thinking that it must be bad because it dissolves plastic might make some sense. For me though, I would rather wear something that might melt some plastics than have skin cancer.

Broad brimmed hats are a great idea, but light gets reflected up from the water as well. My favorite sunscreen is the SPF 50 Coppertone Sport in the blue bottle. It does not wash off with water nor sting the eyes.

[sarafina]

ok, I confess, I use sunscreen too;

Gets a pretty high rating for effectiveness and I like how it feels on my skin and how it doesn't run in my eyes.

But I ALWAYS wear the hat and usually a light cotton shirt as well...

[stevensc]

I was at the dermatologist a couple of months ago she told me sunscreen effectiveness does not go up by using products rated over 35 pdf.
Another dermatologist I used to see had a poster in his waiting room reading to the effect that "80% of the sun damage you will recieve in life is in the first 18 years".
Does that mean if you live to be 78 the remaining damage, 20%, is divided by 60 years making it 1/3% per year? Hardly seems worth bothering with though I believe it is, worth the bother I apply 30 pdf every day.
I read recently that the FDA is working on a new sunscreen ratings system I'm sure that will clear it all up.
Steve

[David M]

I heard a report on the radio the other day that a SPF rating over 50 makes no difference. In fact the FDA is considering banning any sunscreen which claims a rating of over SPF 50.

[gonesail]

not only will it melt plastic but it will put a big stain on your clothing and the smell is not so good either. but yeh it does help to prevent skin cancer.

[Winter River]

Another sunscreen issue -- orange stains on the deck. I had lots of mystery stains on the deck, primarily around the cockpit. The stains were easily removed with a rust removal product, but I went through lots of other cleaners before making this discovery.

Turns out the cause was the sunscreen ingredient avobenzone, aka Parasol 1789. It oxidizes any iron in water, creating rust stains. This also can cause stains on clothing that appear only after washing in water with a high iron content.

Now I check the ingredients of any sunscreen I bring aboard. It's much easier than cleaning the stains.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Winter River

... Now I check the ingredients of any sunscreen I bring aboard...

There are currently 17 active ingredients approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in sunscreen in the United States.

Avobenzone, also known as Parsol 1789, was FDA approved in 1997, for use in over the counter sun care products in the United States; and has been widely used in European, Canadian, and Australian sun and skin care products since the early 1980s.
Avobenzone only absorbs UVA; whereas another common ingedient, Aminobenzoic acid (PABA) absorbs UVB.

Octocrylene, Titanium Dioxide, and Zinc Oxide all absorb, or REFLECT, both UVB and UVA.

So you might think, What IS SPF?
SPF factors only regulate the UVB rays, which are the burning rays. SPF does not regulate the AGING rays which are UVA.

There are two kinds of sunscreens. Physical and chemical.
There are only 2 ingrdients that are physical and they are the most ideal. The best would be zinc oxide, and the second best would be titanium dioxide. These reflect the sun's rays, like a mirror.

They bounce off; unlike chemical sunscreens which the uv rays are absorbed. Zinc oxide blocks out UVB rays as well as 96%of UVA rays.

Parasol 1789 also blocks UVA rays but no UVB. Also Parasol 1789 BREAKS DOWN (into unknown chemicals, especially in the presence of another active, Octinoxate) only after 1 HOUR of UV exposure).
In order for that ingredient to be effective, you have to apply it every hour.

Your best bet is to look for a suncreen with AT LEAST titanium dioxde. Zinc oxide is best.

And don't just focus on about SPF.

BTW: If you blister from sun exposure, you increase your risk of melanoma by 7%!!!

[sailorboy1]

Hey I have some of those orange spots and was wondering how something could be leaving a 'rust" stain when the nearest metal is a yard away, and the Blue bottle Copperone is the one that melted my sunglasses. Think I'm going to stick to the SPF30 "No-Ad" stuff that is UVA/UVB and hasn't meklted anything yet or left any boat stains :-)

[Ocean Girl]

Being fair skinned the sun is always an issue. Offshore without daily showers the sunscreen gets pretty gross. I have found that the best sunscreen is a big cotton long sleeve shirt (white pirate shirt), its amazingly cool. Also, there is a line of clothing that is specifically for sun protection, I have seen them at Academy Sports and Outdoors. A big floppy hat is great too, but the sun reflecting off the water can still get you.
Great thread ,
Erika

[Curmudgeon]

The Neutrogena sunblock (see Sarafina's picture above) is the best sumblock I've ever used. I prefer the 30 spf spray. Waterproof, not greasy.

Also expensive.

[zeehag]

best sunblock i ever found was a good bimini and other overhead and on head coverings....not only do sunscreen products get yukky, they make me suffer hives and itchiness--LOL...