News Coverage
Sifting Through Sunscreens
Published July 15, 2007
How do you choose which sunscreen to buy when you're standing in front of shelves lined with hundreds of products? This question has become more urgent this year, with headlines full of warnings concerning the safety and efficacy of sunscreens, as well as cautions about the inaccuracy of their labels. One recent report released by the Environmental Working Group, which reviewed and rated sunscreens and their ingredients, generated a lot of media buzz. This report and others pointed out some real problems with the ways sunscreens are formulated and marketed. This doesn't mean that we should avoid using sunscreen. On the contrary, these products are an important tool in preventing sunburns and helping to decrease skin cancer risk. It does mean that it is important to choose sunscreens that are safe and effective and to use them properly. You can find them by learning how to carefully read the labels.
Dermatologists have been concerned about inaccurate claims on sunscreen labels for years and have been calling for increased regulation by the FDA. Unfortunately, the FDA has not yet set an effective date for the sunscreen standards it drafted, so companies are free to continue to make misleading statements about their products. For example, there is no such thing as a "waterproof" or "sweatproof" sunscreen. There are also no products that can provide protection all day long. Any sunscreens available on the market can wash off after swimming, sweating or bathing. Some products are more water-resistant than others, but there is no standard test in the United States that products must pass to make this claim. The claim of "broad spectrum" protection is also problematic. Ideally, a sunscreen claiming to offer broad spectrum protection would block harmful UVB rays as well as harmful UVA rays. In reality, many so-called "broad spectrum" sunscreens only provide protection from the shorter UVB rays. So, the first rule about reading those labels is to ignore the hype.
Next, it's important to determine how much protection a sunscreen can give. The SPF on the label only provides information about protection from UVB. In many countries, there are other measurements used to describe protection from UVA rays, but the FDA has not approved any of these methods for labeling sunscreens in the U.S. So, to choose a product that can block UVA rays, make sure that it contains one of the following active ingredients: avobenzone, zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, or mexoryl. That brings us to Rule #2: Look at the SPF AND check for a good UVA blocker.
The effectiveness of active sunscreen ingredients is also controversial. Ingredients are used in different combinations to make products that can block UVB and UVA rays, and some of these combinations work better than others. Some combinations of ingredients tend to break down with sun exposure, so they lose their effectiveness just when you need it most. The question of the safety of individual ingredients is a whole other issue. Some active sunscreen ingredients (for example, oxybenzone) are easily absorbed into the skin; others (such as octinoxate) may even have some weak hormonal effects, and some seem to be accumulating in the environment (for example, in water supplies). At this point, it is impossible to determine whether some of these ingredients will turn out to have long-term effects. In addition, higher concentrations of active ingredients are needed to produce very high SPF ratings (over 30). So, Rule #3: Use a sunscreen that includes zinc or titanium (these aren't absorbed into the skin, and when they are present, lower concentrations of other active ingredients can be used), and Rule #4: Use sunscreen when and where it is needed, and remember to wear hats and clothing and stay in the shade as well.
Here's my quick guide to choosing and using sunscreen:
Choose a product that contains a mix of ingredients including zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, neither of which are absorbed significantly through the skin, and both of which are stable under UV exposure.
Use SPF 30 (higher is reasonable for people with a history of skin cancer), since most of us don't apply enough sunscreen to get the protection shown on the label.
Apply sunscreen to exposed areas before going out in the sun, and reapply it after swimming, sweating, toweling off, or at least every two hours.
Reduce your need for sunscreen by using other methods to minimize UV exposure. Wear clothing to protect your body, and wear a hat to protect your face. Encourage children to wear swim shirts -- this makes it much easier and faster to apply sunscreen to the areas of skin that are still exposed. Sit in the shade when you can.
A few of my favorite brands and products are Blue Lizard (Baby or Sensitive Skin), Lavera, California Baby and Vanicream sunscreens.
Then get outside and enjoy the summer.
