Sun Safety, Sunscreens, & Cancer

As we reach the peak season of the summer sun, wisdom suggests that we should pay greater attention to protecting our skin. Yet, there are questions about the best way to do this. Should we avoid the sun? Is all sun exposure bad for us? Are all sunscreens created equal? Does clothing afford any protection? This blog post will answer some of your most frequently asked questions about how to stay safe in the sun.

On one hand, we’ve all been warned of the dangers that lurk behind those healthy-looking tans; most notably, an increased risk of skin cancer and premature wrinkles. On the other hand, there is also reasonable evidence that sun exposure does not induce melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. In fact, there are several studies that demonstrate sun exposure can actually protect us from cancer! To be specific, the exposure to UVB sun radiation has been shown to reduce the risk of 19 major types of cancer through the production of vitamin D!

To sun or not to sun?

For starters, we should all try to get 20 minutes of unprotected sun-to-skin exposure every day. This is essential for meeting our most basic needs for Vitamin D. (However, if you are sun-sensitive, are at high risk for skin cancer or have a history of skin cancer, it's best to use sunscreen at all times and rely on supplementation and food sources for your vitamin D).

Once this is taken care of, it is best to use both physical protection; i.e., hats, clothing and umbrellas, as well as chemical protection, sunscreens. However, it must be mentioned that many sunscreens on the market today have come under fire not only due to inaccurate labeling — a product states it has an SPF (Sun Protection Factor) of 50 and it’s actually a 4 — but many have been found to contain a host of controversial chemicals that include potential carcinogens, cancer promoters, free radical generators, and hormone disruptors. In addition, the use of sunscreen is known to reduce the production of Vitamin D in the body.

Last December the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) set forth regulations that demanded truth in sunscreen marketing. These rules take effect this summer and require that sunscreen manufacturers validate claims about broad spectrum sun protection and water resistance. Despite these regulations, the Environmental Working Group (EWG, www.ewg.org), a non-profit organization with the mission of using the power of public information to protect public health and the environment, recently reviewed the sunscreen market. They found only “minimal improvements” in products available to consumers for the summer of 2013. In fact, they found that many of these products don’t filter skin-damaging rays safely and effectively. Let’s take a closer look at what the EWG found.

High SPF: Contrary to popular belief, seemingly impressively high SPF numbers are no measure of product effectiveness. A sunscreen’s sun protection factor, or SPF, doesn’t reflect the product’s ability to filter out UVA rays that, according to a growing body of research, cause skin damage, suppress the immune system and may cause melanoma. Rather, it measures its ability to screen skin-burning UV rays, primarily UVB rays. Studies have shown that high-SPF users are exposed to as many or more ultraviolet rays than those who use lower-SPF products. How can this be? Well, it seems that people get a false sense of security from those big numbers, and either don’t apply enough sunscreen, wait too long before reapplying it, and/or simply spend too much time in the sun when it’s at its brightest, and most potentially damaging.

Broad spectrum protection: The vast majority of sunscreens on the market today do meet the FDA’s new rules for “broad spectrum protection,” meaning protection against both ultraviolet A and B rays. The problem, according to the EWG, is that the FDA’s criteria are the weakest in the modern world: “Half of the U.S. sunscreens that meet the FDA rules would not make it to store shelves in Europe.”

Another concern is the potentially toxic ingredients found in some of the most popular sunscreen products on the market today. Among them:

Vitamin A, also known as retinyl palmitate and retinol. This ingredient was found in 25% of this summer’s beach and sport sunscreens. Though it’s frequently used in cosmetics as an “anti-aging” ingredient, it has actually been shown to hasten the development of tumors and lesions on sun-exposed skin. The EWG recommends that consumers avoid using sunscreens and cosmetics whose labels disclose the presence of vitamin A until this chemical’s safety on sun-exposed skin has been shown to be safe.

Oxybenzone: Used in almost half of the beach and sport sunscreens, this common chemical sunscreen soaks through the skin, triggers allergic skin reactions in sensitive individuals, and may be a hormone disruptor. Unfortunately, the FDA has yet to review any data on the potential toxicity of oxybenzone and other chemical sunscreen ingredients, despite evidence that they can mimic hormones (Krause 2012), and have been detected in urine and breast milk samples (Schlumpf 2010, Calafat 2008).

According to EWG, the best sunscreen is a hat and a shirt. No worries about chemicals that will be absorbed through the skin, and no question about their effectiveness. But if you’re wearing a bathing suit or any clothing that provides only partial skin coverage, EWG suggests using sunscreens that provide broad-spectrum (UVA and UVB-sunburn) protection, as well as those that contain fewer hazardous chemicals. See a list of their recommendations. And don’t give too much credence to The Skin Cancer Foundation’s “seal of approval.” According to the EWG, The Skin Cancer Foundation lends its logo to hundreds of sun protection products that have not necessarily been thoroughly scrutinized.

For more information on The Block Center for Integrative Cancer Treatment, call (847) 230-9107 or visit BlockMD.com.