A recent skin care study revealed that using too little sunscreen can cause more damage than using none at all. Fortunately, there are a few natural sunscreens available that may be significantly safer but using a skin treatment product that blocks absorption of chemicals may also help prevent damage from sunscreen.

The research, conducted by a team from the University of California Riverside, investigated the effect of sunscreen on production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), harmful compounds generated by skin molecules when exposed to the ultra violet radiation in sunlight. ROS damage the skin through oxidation, which also leads to premature aging. Sunscreens are designed to filter the UV rays and thereby prevent their absorption.

However, when the chemicals in sunscreen are themselves absorbed they not only cease to protect the skin as they are no longer sitting on the surface, they actually increase the production of ROS when exposed to further sunlight. The process is this: You put on the sunscreen and go out in the sun. For a while, the sunscreen filters the UV rays that cause the ROS production. In a relatively short time the chemicals filtering the rays are absorbed below the surface layer of the skin. If you stay in the sun, those same chemicals accelerate ROS production. That is the point at which the sunscreen does more harm than good.

What are the solutions? Sunscreen manufacturers recommend reapplying every two hours. The research team also recommended that sunscreen be manufactured with antioxidants to reduce the ROS levels in the skin caused by the absorption of the sunscreen.

You might also try natural sunscreens. The truth is that even without the increased ROS levels, most sunscreens damage the skin. They block the production of melanin, the skin's own protection against harmful rays, and can contain up to five different chemicals known to stimulate tumor growth and the spread of cancer cells. Natural sunscreens and sunscreen-containing skin care treatment products made with less harmful UVA and UVB sun-deflecting and sun-reflecting minerals such as Titanium Dioxide and Padimate O (PABA Ester) may be the best solution all round.

Whichever solution you choose, it's always a good idea to use a skin treatment product such as a shielding lotion to help prevent the absorption of chemicals -- apply that first, and then apply the sunscreen on top. Sunlight is important: it enables the production of Vitamin D, which helps prevent cancer and regulates the function of many glands vital to your health, but don't overdo it -- and choose protection that won't cause further damage.