Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Zinc Versus Titanium - The Sunscreen Wars

While sunscreen manufacturers have tried to impress consumers by inflating their SPF number year after year, it is becoming clear what sunscreens should really be about is "broad spectrum". That is, broad spectrum sunscreens protect against both UVA (the component of the sun's rays that ages the skin) and UVB (the part that burns the skin). 

Both zinc and titanium after often cited as excellent UVA and UVB blockers, but which one is better?  Well, for those fastidious sunscreen-ers, the winner is zinc! Zinc oxide blocks a significantly longer portion of UVA rays while still protecting against UVB. Does it hurt to have a sunscreen with both? Absolutely not. So why don't I hear dermatologists talking more about this? Well, with the majority of Americans not using any protection, some sunscreen is better than no sunscreen.

No comments:

Post a Comment