In my spam today, up popped this, supposedly written by a doctor on a website called healthydirections.com and I have to vent :
"(intro)......Instead, you can make your own natural, homemade sunscreen out of vitamin C powder. Vitamin C plays a potent role in diminishing the effects of free-radical damage and can be quite effective in protecting against ultraviolet light damage. It can also be absorbed into your cells and is generally present up to 36 hours after it has been applied topically. Therefore, it can still give you sun protection even after you’ve washed your skin or gone swimming.
Here’s a simple homemade sunscreen recipe using vitamin C powder:
As a skin cancer survivor (lots of bad burns as a kid, lived in Middle East and Mediterranean area for decades as an adult) this freaked me out. What do our chemistry-knowledgeable members think about this? It's the first time I've seen the claim. First, I don't want to be unfair...so, could it possibly work? How would you quantify an SPF? And secondly, what effect would all that vitamin C have when sprayed on your skin every day? Will we see this concoction being sold at farmer's markets and fairs with magical claims of its effectiveness?
"(intro)......Instead, you can make your own natural, homemade sunscreen out of vitamin C powder. Vitamin C plays a potent role in diminishing the effects of free-radical damage and can be quite effective in protecting against ultraviolet light damage. It can also be absorbed into your cells and is generally present up to 36 hours after it has been applied topically. Therefore, it can still give you sun protection even after you’ve washed your skin or gone swimming.
Here’s a simple homemade sunscreen recipe using vitamin C powder:
Homemade Sunscreen Recipe
- Mix 2 tablespoons of vitamin C powder in 8 ounces of water.
- Put the solution into a spray bottle and squirt yourself with it regularly (say, every hour or so).
As a skin cancer survivor (lots of bad burns as a kid, lived in Middle East and Mediterranean area for decades as an adult) this freaked me out. What do our chemistry-knowledgeable members think about this? It's the first time I've seen the claim. First, I don't want to be unfair...so, could it possibly work? How would you quantify an SPF? And secondly, what effect would all that vitamin C have when sprayed on your skin every day? Will we see this concoction being sold at farmer's markets and fairs with magical claims of its effectiveness?