Posted on 07/01/2015 3:22:02 PM PDT by nickcarraway
You’re in the market for a new sunscreen. You want one that works, so you do your homework — or try to. If you Google “best sunscreen,” the first link that appears is an Environmental Working Group list of products that meet its safety criteria. Look further and you’ll see natural-health gurus proclaiming that many sunscreens are full of toxic ingredients like oxybenzone and retinyl palmitate, which could mess with your hormones or actually increase the risk of skin cancer. They advise sticking to mineral options with titanium dioxide or zinc oxide as the active ingredient. Yet others say even those formulas have the potential to be bad for you. What do you do now?
First, know that sunscreen is necessary to protect your skin from the harmful effects of ultraviolet light, according to Mona Gohara, M.D., associate clinical professor of dermatology at the Yale School of Medicine. “We know that 90 percent of skin cancers and 90 percent of the signs of aging come from ultraviolet light. That, we know for a fact. And the antidote to that is sunscreen,” she says.
The issue is that very few people are using sunscreen regularly (only 30 percent of women and 14 percent of men, per a recent study in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology), and those who do only use about half the recommended amount, according to separate research. And, sadly, people are still using tanning beds. To wit, rates of melanoma — the deadliest form of skin cancer — have doubled in the past 30 years, according to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Skin cancer and premature aging are both preventable, but still, adults skip sunscreen. “People don’t use it partially because they don’t see the need for it,” Dr. Gohara told the Cut. “And some people just don’t think it’s good for them.”
Here, several myths about sunscreen and what's safest to use on your skin.
MYTH: Oxybenzone should be avoided at all costs. There’s conflicting information online about the safety of chemical blocks like oxybenzone, which absorb UV rays (as opposed to mineral blocks that reflect light). Fears that oxybenzone can penetrate the skin and act like estrogen in the body stem from a widely publicized 2001 study in which rats fed oxybenzone had enlarged uteruses after four days.
Dr. Gohara says the dermatologic community takes issue with that piece of research since the rats were given “megadoses” of the chemical (1,500 milligrams per kilogram of body weight) and, as she explains, “consuming something is quite different than putting it on your skin.” A 2011 analysis published in JAMA Dermatology found it would take 200 years of daily sunscreen application to reach the level of oxybenzone exposure observed in the rat study.
In response, scientists have tested topical application of sunscreen on actual people. A 2004 study had 32 participants apply a basic lotion every day for a week. The following week, they applied lotion containing 10 percent oxybenzone (even higher than the 6 percent permitted by the FDA) and the researchers found no difference in hormone levels that could be attributed to sunscreen. Yes, the participants had detectable levels of oxybenzone in their urine, but that’s because your body excretes it that way.
“There’s no evidence that these [ingredients] are carcinogenic,” Dr. Gohara says. “That being said, if somebody’s not comfortable, they’re simply not comfortable and that’s fine. There are plenty of alternatives that don’t have oxybenzone.”
MYTH: Retinyl palmitate increases skin-cancer risk. Animal research suggested that common inactive-ingredient retinyl palmitate (a form of vitamin A) could actually accelerate skin damage. But the study (which was conducted by the National Toxicology Program and never published in a peer-reviewed journal) was done on albino mice, which are more susceptible to skin cancer than humans. An analysis published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology found there is no evidence that using retinyl palmitate in sunscreen raises cancer risk in humans.
MYTH: Sunscreen is for the beach. Dr. Gohara says the average person gets the wrong idea from the name of the product alone. “It shouldn’t be called ‘sunscreen,’ it should be ‘ultraviolet screen,’” she says. “‘Sunscreen’ connotes that you should only be wearing it when you’re in the sun.” UV light is present even on cloudy or rainy days, she says. “What we see in skin-cancer patients and people who are aging prematurely is that either they don’t protect themselves or they only protect themselves in the sun,” she told the Cut. “Ultraviolet light is around all the time, whether you’re driving, or whatever.”
MYTH: SPF 100 blocks 100 percent of UV rays. That isn’t how it works, Dr. Gohara says. In fact, no sunscreen blocks all UV rays, and SPF ratings refer only to protection against UVB, not UVA, rays (more on that below). The difference in protection is smaller than the ratings suggest: SPF 15 blocks 93 percent of UVB rays, SPF 30 filters 97 percent, SPF 50 blocks 98 percent, and SPF 100 blocks 99 percent. But only for up to two hours. You need to reapply that often — or sooner after swimming or sweating excessively — because the product wears off.
The American Academy of Dermatology recommends using broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher, though the Environmental Working Group argues that SPF values greater than 50 could lead to a false sense of security. The FDA is aware of this issue: The agency proposed a regulation stating that products over 50 be labeled 50+, but it’s still under review.
One sunscreen regulation that’s already in effect is that “broad-spectrum” label: Only products that pass the FDA’s test by proving they block both UVA (aging) and UVB (burning) rays can make such a claim, which is good to know because exposure to both kinds can increase skin-cancer risk.
MYTH: People of color don’t need it. Kerry Washington has been trying to spread the word about this belief as part of her role as a Neutrogena spokesperson. “There have been a lot of misconceptions, particularly in communities of color, that because you have melanin in your skin, you don't need to protect it,” she said in a recent interview with the Huffington Post.
Darker skin (or even tanned skin) might have more melanin in it than fair skin, but the protective effect is minimal: Experts say black skin likely has a max SPF of 4. And while skin cancer is less common in people of color, the average five-year survival rate for melanoma is lower among African-Americans (75 percent) than it is for Caucasians (93 percent). It might be because doctors aren’t catching it in time: One study found that late-stage melanoma diagnoses were more common in people of color than in white patients.
MYTH: Sprays are worthless. They do work: You just need to hold the bottle a few inches from your skin, and rub it in so you don’t miss any spots. The exception is your face: The AAD recommends spraying the product into your hands and then applying it in order to avoid inhaling any fumes or particles. The FDA is investigating the safety of spray products but hasn’t made any rulings.
So what should you do? Use sunscreen and lots of it. The best thing to do is apply your broad-spectrum formula of choice before getting dressed, and 30 minutes before going outside. Stand in front of a full-length mirror and put that stuff everywhere, including your ears, hairline, the back of your neck, tops of your feet, and backs of your knees. Experts say that using less than the recommended one ounce (or two tablespoons) over your entire body drastically reduces your protection, though you might think you’re safe to stay outside. Reapply using the same amount every two hours.
And think beyond sprays and lotions: “It’s not just about the sunscreen, it’s about sunglasses, sun-protective clothing, and avoiding the sun during peak hours. Sun protection and skin-cancer prevention really is a lifestyle,” Dr. Gohara says. “It’s like if you have heart disease, you don’t just lay off the doughnuts — you have to exercise, you have to do a lot of stuff.”
Probably.....don’t really need sunscreen unless you are on water or snow....or a redhead....OR going to spend HOURS AND HOURS in the sun....those at the equator have LESS skin cancer than those in northern climates.
OH...they quote a Dermatologist....NOT impressed.
Good article. Thanks.
#WhiteSkinMatters
I get so tired of these stories.
We’re ALLL going to die! Breathing causes death, once you’ve done it enough times, you die!! Quick let’s ban breathing!
The real reason people die young, is they sit around and stew about what some nutjob says is going to kill them today.
Interesting article but I don’t trust anyone connected with the medical establishment. Companies that make this stuff want money and lots of it, and will tell you anything to get it.
I firmly believe anything you can’t pronounce should not be on or in your body.
And consider this. Skin cancer is deadly. So...why didn’t it wipe out the human race 100,000 years ago? Or did they have sunscreen and I missed it?
And consider this one. Why were all forms of cancer fairly uncommon 100 years ago, and now one of the leading causes of death? Chemicals. In your food, in the air, in sunscreen, in plastic, in teflon coated cookware...Cancer didn’t become the huge problem it is today until mass produced commercial foods became much more common than the home produced variety. Add to that pollution, chemicals in everything in sight (including commercially produced foods) and you have a problem.
Medical research has always used unbelievable doses of the things they “research”. If you eat the equivalent of 14 lbs of sugar a day for a couple of months, I’m sure it will kill you. I’m not saying sugar is not bad, it’s certainly not that good, but that’s the level of dosage they use for most research.
In many cases I’m 99.999999% sure they manipulate the testing procedures to get the results they want. Especially concerning the drugs they want to sell. Then after it hits the market, even if it is proven to be harmful, they keep selling it. Xarelto for example, has been proven to cause uncontrolled bleeding, cerebral hemorrhage and other problems up to and including death. It’s still being advertised on TV 6 months after I saw the first ad trying to get people to sign on to the class action lawsuit. And the FDA still hasn’t demanded they stop selling it. The FDA is not working to protect you from unscrupulous corporations, which is their primary job. Why would they or the medical community tell the truth about sunscreen? Both haven’t done diddly to stop the sale of Xarelto. Ditto for the AMA. Nothing but uber rich doctors. They’re not giving up their money even if they have to lie to you to get it.
If it is causing trouble you won’t hear it from the FDA, or AMA and you won’t hear it from researchers funded by the medical industry. Count commercials. More commercials on TV for drugs than anything else, so you won’t hear about it on TV either, they control TV. Two pharmaceutical corps pull their advertising, the network is doomed. That’s half their yearly income. So you won’t hear anything drug companies don’t want you to know on TV.
Good article but I don’t trust it. I don’t put anything on my skin I can’t pronounce.
Pimple Popper M.D. ?
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
(Seinfeld reference)
I firmly believe anything you can’t pronounce should not be on or in your body.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
How do you know what I can’t pronounce?
What I found were the following warring factions of "expert" opinions:
I WAS a redhead, all gray now and I need sunscreen or I’ll be lobster red in less than an hour on a beach.
Hahaha
Tanning is not bad for you. BURNING is bad for you. But slathering goop on so you can get over exposed to the sun without the body’s early warning system is even WORSE. Don’t use lotions, get sun in moderation for the vitamin D, get out of the sun before you burn.
Walgreens probably pays Consumer Reports real good!
Yes...what you said...that said...I was just diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma on my jaw line...but hey...I overdid sun in my 20s
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Bummer. Good luck with that.
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