In May 2000, the BBC published an article about a study that had been done on bald mice. They were all exposed to equal amounts of UV radiation. Post radiation, the first group was ‘painted’ regular olive oil and the second with extra virgin olive oil and the third was left unoiled.

After 18 weeks, the mice painted with regular olive oil, or not painted at all started to develop tumors. The mice that were treated with extra virgin olive oil developed significantly smaller tumors that took longer to develop.

The researchers found that high-grade, virgin olive oil smeared on the skin delayed the appearance of tumours and reduced their size. – BBC.co.uk

It was theorised that the anti-oxidants in the extra virgin olive oil inhibited the free radicals created in the skin by the UVA exposure. Note that the processed olive oil (the regular olive oil) did not have these effects.
 

Alcohol is a primary ingredient in most after-suns. If we look at a typical L’Orial after-sun, we can see that one of the main ingredients is alcohol. Alcohol quickly evaporates from the skin when applied and in doing so, it takes heat from the body creating a temporary cooling sensation.

However, alcohol is also strongly linked with various cancers, there have even been concerns that gargling alcoholic mouth wash can contribute to throat cancer and drinking alcohol increases the risk of mouth cancer by 200%. In addition to this, alcohol is typically alkaline, while an acidic environment is more nurturing to skin cells. The alkalinity in fact dries the skin; which is surely undesirable when attempting to treat sunburn.

In Summary: Although most after-suns on the market today will offer short term relief to the burning, applying extra virgin olive oil may be a better option to reduce long term damage. If you need a cooling sensation, a cool bath or shower will work just as well as applying alcohol based after-sun without the risks associated with it.

Of course, the best way to ensure healthy skin is to avoid intensive or prolonged sun exposure. About 15 minutes a day is more than enough to get your vitamin D hit. Subscribe via email or RSS to receive more articles like this!