Erin O'Hara: naturopath and wellness expert on the science behind sunscreen

There's concerns among some that sunscreen poses a risk, and the high-profile product recalls in recent months have prompted discussion.

Some believe sunscreen is toxic or linked to disease and skin cancer - and some believe it's not needed because vitamin D is good for health.

Naturopath and wellness expert Erin O'Hara debunked these concerns, and revealed how to choose the right sun-protection products.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudgin
from News TALKSB.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Aaron Ihara, good morning, Good morning.

Speaker 3 (00:16):
Right. You know, we're all hoping that summer is on
the way and we're outside a little bit more in
the sunshine, and we hear so much these days about
sunscreens and which ones work, and which ones work as
they say they work, and which ones don't. Where do
we start with sunscreens?

Speaker 2 (00:33):
Your sunscreens are really complicated product that we use, and
I think that social media actually hasn't made it any
easier because on social media you'll hear claims about sunscreen
being toxic, or sunscreen causing disease, or sunscreen, you know,
not being good for your health, or that we don't

(00:53):
need it because we need more sunlight or we're not
getting enough vitamin D. There's a lot of controversy around sunscreen,
and I feel like it's been more recently, especially in
the media, around types of sunscreen and while they work
and what is in your sunscreen is another big thing
to be asking yourself. The interesting thing though, is like

(01:14):
there's mixed views on this. Although you know, we need
to get some good foundations of how to look after
our skin because if we are going in the sun,
the more sun exposure with UV rays will cause more
sun damage. Also, we're more likely to affect the firmness
of the skin, the elasticity as well as long term
if we're going to be causing skin cancer if we're
not getting the right sun protection on our skin. And

(01:38):
when you're looking at sunscreens, building up a tan is
not like wearing sunscreen, because I hear that one a lot,
people like, I'm just going to slowly build up my
tan and then I won't get sunburn and then I
won't need to wear sunscreen. But actually that's not really
the whole truth. If you do build up a tan,

(01:59):
you will get a minimal amount of sun protection through
your skin and having the melanocytes producing the UV absorbing
melanin in your skin. And actually it's like wearing a
sun protection factor of three or four if you have
a bit more of a tan.

Speaker 1 (02:15):
So it's not.

Speaker 2 (02:15):
Something I think we should all start looking at as
going out and slowly building up tans to get better
sun protection. Because if you love being outside, a three
or four sun protection is not going to be enough.
So what sun protection factor should we use well. Ideally,
if you're outside a lot, you want to be looking
at the type of sunscreen. If you're wearing a sunscreen
that has UV protection amb so there's different types of

(02:38):
UV rays, but also you want a minimum of thirty
some sunat protection factor because it's going to help you
prevent from burning. And I think the other thing is
how often you're putting on your sunscreen.

Speaker 3 (02:51):
Because it's important to read that fine print on the back.

Speaker 2 (02:53):
Yeah, because people quite often put sunscreen on and be like,
I'm done for the day. The whole day, I'm going
to be protected from the sun. But actually the truth
is most sunscreens will only last about two hours and
then you need to be reapplied. When it comes to
looking at the sunscreens themselves and whether they are toxic
for the body, researchers found that, you know, there's different

(03:15):
types of ingredients in sunscreens, particularly the ones to look
out for things like oxyben zones, which actually have links
to causing the hormone disruptors, the endochrome disruptors, so not
very good for your health, lowering fertility rates. I think
it's something to look at when you're buying a sunscreen
is what is in it, because we really want to

(03:37):
be mindful what we're putting on our skin is then
going to absorb into our body, into our sunscreens. Some
of my favorite ingredients to really look out for that
going to give you the sun protection but also not
be so toxic for the body is things like zinc
oxide and titanium dioxide because these are more inorganic compounds

(03:57):
and they're going to be a lot better healthier for
your body. Some countries are getting a lot better at
regulating sunscreens, particularly Australia in their TGA requirement, they don't
allow sunscreens to have oxyben zones in them. In New Zealand,
we're not great at regulation, as we've talked about before,
so it's something that we also have to self regulate ourselves.

(04:18):
So look at what is in your sun's screen. When
you're choosing your sun's screen, try to stick to the
zinc oxide or the titanium dioxide because they are going
to be a bit safe for fair body.

Speaker 1 (04:29):
Brilliant.

Speaker 2 (04:29):
Thank you for clearing that up for us, Erin appreciate it.

Speaker 1 (04:33):
For more from the Sunday session with Francesca Rudkin, listen
live to news talks there be from nine am Sunday,
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