Transcription of Rhonda Nordstrom for the show Vitamin D/Sunshine #46
Dr. Lisa: Today on the Dr. Lisa radio hour and podcast, our show is discussing the topic of vitamin D and sunshine. It’s interesting because we’ve talked a lot, Genevieve and I about vitamin D and the importance of it and the hormone and the feel good factor but there is a very real influence on skin.
Genevieve: Skin damage and ageing which is what we’re afraid of and so there is a balance to be struck between being out in the sun and then putting sunscreen on. But how do you use sunscreen safely?
Dr. Lisa: Right. Which is why we invited Rhonda Nordstrom from the RHEAL Day Spa in Rockland, Maine to come down and talk to us about this. Rhonda has 12 years of spa experience and actually has her own skincare line. I’ve personally put the sunscreen that she’s created on my skin and I think you’re quite the expert to come in and talk to us, thank you Rhonda.
Rhonda: Thank you for inviting me, it’s really exciting to be here.
Dr. Lisa: Well, we’re always to have people who have a broader view of health and wellness and actually when you were coming in, you were talking about the environmental working group. Tell us, what’s the relationship between the environmental working group and things that we put on our skin?
Rhonda: I think that often people don’t realize the harmful chemicals that might be in some of the ingredients that they put on their skin, that they bought at the pharmacy or whatever that tells them that they’re protecting their skin and then you find out that there’s harmful chemicals in there. A good resource to find out what chemicals might be harmful that you have in your skincare products is the environmental working group and their website is ewg.org and that’s a great place to start with what is a safe sunscreen. Because they’ll tell you what to look for that is not healthy and they also list the … I think it’s the top 10 or 20 safest sunscreens including those that are good for children.
Dr. Lisa: Rhonda, what are some things that people should be looking for in their sunscreens?
Rhonda: I believe that the most effective sunscreen and the safest sunscreen ingredient is titanium dioxide. You’ll often find zinc as well, zinc is the ingredient that turns your skin white and it’s not very user friendly so it’s very thick and it’s hard to put on. Titanium dioxide is a little more friendly and often they’re used together but the importance of using titanium dioxide or zinc is that they screen out both UVA and UVB rays.
I think that’s where the problem has come in for a lot of years as is that the … when the FGA first started the SPF rating, it was really what SPF stands for is how long can you be in the sun before you burn. But the burning rays are not the only rays that we need to be concerned with, the UVA rays which don’t physically burn us immediately or whatever, go more deeply into the skin and are more often linked to cancers.
Dr. Lisa: So there are issues besides burning and cancers, what are some of the things that you see in the day spa? What types of things, what problems do people get when they spend too much time in the sun?
Rhonda: Oh my goodness. Besides the obvious hyperpigmentation, or dark spots all over the face that we all get especially from the sun and from ageing so obvious just hardening of the skin and keratosis. I’m seeing so many people come in with little pieces of skin, chunks taken out of their skin from visiting a doctor and having suspicious looking things taken out of their skin. So that’s a huge downside there because all of a sudden you’re not so beautiful anymore and you’re certainly not healthy. I was also seeing premature ageing and deep wrinkling and what not on women in their early 40’s and that’s really too young to be seeing that kind of ageing.
Dr. Lisa: So your suggestion then is to be very careful of the sunscreen that you use but be diligent about applying it?
Rhonda: Absolutely, you have to reapply it and if it’s says it’s waterproof, I’m not saying no lotion that you put on your skin can be completely waterproof so is you’re swimming, you need to reapply. I do believe that the FDA is coming out with new guidelines or even maybe they’re going to change laws that will require the sunscreen manufactures to label appropriately because maybe they’re not all doing that now. They might say it’s broad spectrum but unless it has titanium oxide or zinc in it, you’re still getting UVA as well as UVB.
Dr. Lisa: We’ve been talking a lot about vitamin D and one of the best ways to make vitamin D in your body is through sun exposure. So what’s your recommendation for a safe level of sun exposure and then when do you put the sunscreen on? There’s a balance there.
Rhonda: Yeah I think first an early morning walk or run if you’re going to be outside playing early morning is best and then if you’re at the beach during peak hours which is I think is 10 until four, it’s the guideline, you need to be lathered up, you really do. As far as vitamin D and sunshine and health I think, it’s all a balance, right? Just like with everything else in life so if you’re eating well with foods that are high in calcium and you’re getting a little bit of sunshine every day, you’re skin’s going to be that much healthier, your whole body is going to be that much healthier and you’re going to have more resistance to UV damage.
Dr. Lisa: Where can we get your sunscreen Rhonda?
Rhonda: So far just at Rheal Day Spa in Rockland however, you can order it online through our website and or call us, we’d be glad to ship it. I’d also like to make just a little plug for facials because I think that so many people in the world think and I hear it every day, I’ve talked to some about it, “you know you should get a facial,” and their response is, “I’m a massage person.” I challenge them and then they get it, so it feels good and they get it, it’s an intimate experience, it’s really beautiful. However, it also helps with the health of the skin and the healthier your skin is the more resistant it is to ageing and to damage from the sun.
Dr. Lisa: And where can people learn more about your spa and your product and you?
Rhonda: They can find out about us on rhealdayspa.com, we’re also on Facebook at Rheal Day Spa and they can come visit us at 453 Maine Street in Rockland.
Dr. Lisa: Very good, well, thank you so much for coming down and spending time this morning talking with us about safe sunscreens and I encourage all the people who are out there listening who might be in the mid-coast region to stop in, maybe get some sunscreen, have a conversation with you Rhonda or maybe call you up and order some online, see what you think. I’ve personally tried it, it’s not like the old fashion white stuff you put on your nose as a lifeguard. It really does sink in eventually and is worth definitely trying out.
Rhonda: Thank you Lisa.