Are you protecting your family or are you lining someone's pocket? Prepare to be horrified by what you read....

Get ready to to be shocked, then make it your goal to shock every person you know with the information you are about to read!

for years everyone has run to their drug cupboard to grab their sunscreen. it doesn't actually have to be sunny with a risk of sunburn for this, just the mere mention of the word 'going outside' has generally been enough to trigger an urgent dash to the pharmacy, supermarket or storage place to bring out the beloved 'saviour of the skin', the infamous chemical sunscreen. You see, that is what most sunscreens are, a bottle full of chemicals and most people would;' have the foggiest idea what those chemicals do, or don't do. Well, let's be honest, you don't have to know do you? Those every friendly people on the adverts all tell you the same thing: you need large dollops of the stuff applied to your skin and that of every person you could possibly ever come in contact with. Come rain. hail or shine this bottle of chemical goo will protect you from that FREE thing, created by nature, called sunshine. Now let's be perfectly frank here, if sunshine could be bottled, the dermatologists, cosmetic companies and pharmaceutical giants would be fighting each other to see who could make the biggest profit from it; then no doubt the idea of sunscreen could go and whistle!

Those of us 'in the know' i.e. the people who have known for a very long time that most of these chemicals are likely to do more harm than good ( in other words the opposite of the Hippocratic oath), have been ignored and fought a losing battle trying to get the message across to the unsuspecting public. However, there are at long last, working committees who are brave enough to stand up and be counted and provide statistics which prove conclusively that no one should be applying this stuff willy nilly, day in, day out to their skin. More importantly, the harm it can do to children and young people in particular, must told to every parent, nursery, kindergarten, pre-school,school, clinic and hospital and so that the word can be spread to protect ALL children! Humans need moderate exposure to sunshine to get vitamin D NATURALLY form UVB. Sun IS Life!!!

So what you may ask can you do when there is risk of sunburn. The answer is: use a physical sunscreen - ie one with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, cover up skin with light weight clothing, wear a hat with a brim and always protect the eyes with sunglasses. Stay in the shade once a moderate amount of exposure has been achieved. The golden rule is never ever burn. Physical sunscreen has a white appearance and may not be so aesthetically pleasing to some, but it is surely better to have this than apply chemicals that can be absorbed and can cause severe toxicity and possibly skin cancer. Be aware that some companies are now trying to be crafty by adding other chemicals to physical sunscreens to try to make them appear colourless; as we are trying to avoid chemicals, check the label carefully.

If you want to know what damage the chemicals in sunscreen can do to you and your loved ones, read the articles
"http://www.megasun.co.nz/News/SUNSCREENS-EXPOSED%3A-A-MUST-READ%21/
or
http://www.megasun.co.nz/News/Your-Favourite-Sunblock-May-Be-Killing-YOU-and-YOUR-Family%21/

Do You Have The Real Facts Behind Chemical Sunscreens?

Sunscreens - What are they doing to you and your body?


For many years, long before we opened megaSun Tanning Studios, I had a fascination with ingredients. In fact, I can quite clearly state, I was mesmerised by them from childhood; be it ingredients for cooking or food related or, when I was older, those contained in medicines and cosmetics. This possibly influenced my life choices of what I wanted to and where I wanted to work – but that as they say is another story. I have had an interest in sunscreen for many years, wondering what it does when the liver tries to metabolise it, what are the pharmacokinetics of them (key factors affecting their absorption and distribution in the body).


Those of you who know me well, know that once I get my teeth into something I just have to keep researching and reading until I find answers – answers that are plausible and from studies that are done with integrity and honesty. For some time now, it has been a concern as to what sunscreens really do – or don’t do. I have always had my own thoughts and feelings from what I have read over the years – and looking at the facts presented by clever scientists who understand the whole concept of neutral studies (i.e. without lies, pretention or hiding an ulterior motive). This article tells how it is - what has been known for a long long time. Read the full article here and be prepared to have a new perspective on sunscreens!

Teaching The Correct Use of Sunscreen; Controlled Tanning; Sunburn Prevention and Optimizing Vitamin D Intake.

The Indoor Tanning Community’s BALANCED perspective on teaching the correct use of sunscreen; controlled tanning; sunburn prevention and optimizing vitamin D intake.

How Do Indoor Tanning Salons Teach Sunburn Prevention?

The indoor tanning industry is at the forefront in educating people how to successfully avoid sunburn over the course of one’s life.
Studies of indoor tanners have shown consistently that indoor tanning customers once they begin tanning in a professional salon, are less likely to sunburn than they were before they started tanning.
Studies have also shown that indoor tanners are less likely to sunburn outdoors than are non-tanners.

Consider:
In recent years sunburn incidence in the general population has been steadily increasing while sunscreen usage has been declining. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, the sub-group most likely to sunburn is older men.
Appropriate use of sunscreen outdoors is taught by Indoor Tanning Studios, thus optimizing vitamin D – the “Sunshine Vitamin” intake.

We believe that teaching people strictly to avoid the sun may be making them more likely to sunburn when they do go outside for summer activities – and everyone does go outdoors at some point.

Consider:
1. Tanning is your body’s natural defense mechanism against sunburn, and indoor tanners have activated this defense against burning; non-tanners are more vulnerable when they inevitably do go outdoors.
2. Indoor tanners are educated at professional tanning facilities how to avoid sunburn outdoors, how to use sunscreens appropriately and how to properly moisturise and care for their skin, both in th estudio and at home.

When you also consider that the majority of people who sunburn are male, according to the AAD, and that 65-70 percent of indoor tanning customers are female, clearly, it is non-tanners who are doing most of the burning outdoors.In the war against sunburn, tanning salons are part of the solution. Those who abstain from sun exposure completely are more likely to sunburn when they inevitably do go outdoors, even if they attempt to wear sunscreen.

The professional indoor tanning community’s SCIENTIFICALLY SUPPORTED POSITION is summed up in this declaration:
Moderate tanning, for individuals who can develop a tan, is the smartest way to maximize the potential benefits of sun exposure while minimizing the potential risks associated with either too much or too little sunlight.

This position is founded on the following tenets:
1. Ultraviolet light exposure from the sun or from a quality indoor tanning unit, with properly rained staff, is essential for human health, and getting it in a non-burning fashion is the smartest way.
2. The professional indoor tanning industry promotes and teaches what we refer to as The Golden Rule of Smart Tanning: Don’t ever sunburn.
3. For the past decade, the indoor tanning industry has been more effective at teaching sunburn prevention than those who promote complete sun avoidance. Since the mid-1990s, tanning industry research suggests that non-tanners sunburn outdoors more often than people who tan indoors. The professional indoor tanning salon industry is part of the solution in the ongoing battle against sunburn and in teaching people how to identify a proper and practical life-long skin care regimen.
4. A tan is the body’s natural protection against sunburn. Your skin is designed to tan as a natural body function, and the body is designed to repair sun damage as a natural process.
5. Every year, millions indoor tanners successfully develop “base tans” before embarking on sunny vacations – tans that, combined with the proper use of sunscreen outdoors, help them prevent sunburn. (Proper use being defined as used to prevent sunburn).
6. There are known physiological and psychological benefits associated with sunlight exposure and there are many other potential benefits that appear linked to sun exposure, but need further research. The potential upside of these benefits is
considerable and deserves further consideration.
7. The body produces Vitamin D naturally when the skin is exposed to sunlight. Vitamin D deficiency has become a recognized epidemic and overzealous sun protection practices have most likely contributed to this.
8. The risks associated with UV overexposure are manageable for anyone who has the ability to develop a tan.