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Sunscreen - Does It Give You Cancer?

Author: Gary Sargent - Escaped to Peru / Escaped to Latin America

Putting on sunscreen; it's the first thing we do on a day out at the beach or in the great outdoors. However, when you ask a simple question about the effectiveness of sunscreen, you open a can of worms. Research has even gone as far to show that sunscreen can actually cause cancer instead of preventing it. So what's the reality?

There has been so much contradictory and misleading marketing by skincare companies that last year the Environmental Working Group (EWG) published a report on over 1000 sunscreens about sunscreen to try and set the record straight. The aim of the report was to pressure the US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) into setting firmer standards for sunscreen packaging to avoid confusing consumers.

Two key points come up in the discussion about sunscreen:

1) The protection that sunscreen provides
The sun produces 3 different types of radiation; UVA, UVB and UVC. UVB is the type that causes sunburns and is currently regulated by the FDA. However, UVA is much more responsible for causing skin cancer, premature ageing and skin damage. When you consider that UVB only forms about 4% of the radiation entering the Earth's atmosphere, you wonder why more consideration isn't given to UVA.

Elements that protect against UVB and UVA are referred to as "active ingredients". Four such ingredients recognised by the FDA are avobenzone, Mexoryl, titanium dioxide, and zinc. You can see a more complete list of active ingredients on the EWG website. You should check for these on the packaging of your suncream ingredients. If none are present, you should consider buying a replacement product which contains active ingredients.

The other concern about UVB protection is that by preventing radiation from reaching your skin you are stopping the body from producing vitamin D and creating a deficiency, something that according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology affects 30-50% of the US population. No more slapping on extra layers of your bad old sunscreen; you won't be getting your vitamins...

2) The Existence of Harmful ingredients
The EWG report contains a fairly sizable list of chemicals that have been shown to have harmful affects. However, before becoming too paranoid about the nasty things that you may be rubbing into you skin with your current sunscreen it is worth taking a look at this article by the New York Times in response to the EWG report.

One such example of a chemical is oxybenzone, which blocks UVA and UVB radiation but it gets absorbed into the skin; because of this it is believed to be a likely photocarcinogen; in other words, oxybenzone has a destructive effect on DNA when illuminated.

Another concern is about the existence of nanoparticles in sunscreen. The concern is not about absorption through the skin with such products, but instead through lung damage due to inhalation when using spray-on sunscreen.

It's worth mentioning again that there is no conclusive scientific support for any concerns relating to our second point. However, that doesn't stop us as consumers from checking for ingredients in the products we use which could potentially harm our health.
So to sum up, what should we do about the whole issue of sunscreen?

• Check your existing sunscreen using this online guide. If it doesn't measure up, you should look for a replacement.
• Old sunscreen can lose its effectiveness; check the expiry date on the packaging.
• Don't go big; sunscreen with 55-100+ block only provide up to 1-2% more protection that a SPF 30 rated product.
• Look for sunscreen with active ingredients such as avobenzone, Mexoryl, titanium dioxide, and zinc.
• When buying sunscreen, follow the EWG's list of recommended sunscreens.

All of the controversy aside, the most important point is that sunscreen products should be one of several measures that people take. To avoid all the negative effects of sun exposure such as skin cancer, skin ageing and sunburn, you can't do better than following the guidelines below, which are quoted on the majority of sunscreens anyway!
• Clothing is tougher than cream; wear a hat and SPF-rated clothing (available from outdoor clothing manufacturers) when out in the sun.
• Avoid the hottest part of the day between 10am and 4pm if possible and stay in shade

Author: Gary Sargent - Escaped to Peru / Escaped to Latin America