What you need to know about sunscreens

If you’re a parent, reminding your children to apply sunscreen is probably on top of your list of summer safety practices. Recent media reports regarding sunscreen safety, however, may have you wondering whether you are doing more harm than good.

Based on everything we know, most medical professionals and organizations like the American Cancer Society and the American Academy of Dermatology, still believe sunscreen is safe and should be a part of your daily sun protection routine.

Recent media attention is based on a study published in the May issue of the medical journal JAMA, that looked at the amount of chemicals from sunscreen that entered the bloodstream. The study involved 24 volunteers who applied a spray, lotion or cream to 75% of their body four times a day for four days in a row.

For perspective, the amount used was equivalent to two standard bottles of sunscreen during those four days while the average person uses an average of one bottle per year.

Blood samples taken from the study participants looked at four chemicals – avobenzone, oxybenzone, ecamsule and octocrylene, and found that three exceeded the threshold set by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for absorption into the bloodstream requiring further study. This led the FDA to announce that manufacturers need to do more research on sunscreens to determine what the effects, if any, are from absorption of these ingredients through the skin.

It should be noted that neither the FDA nor the study concluded that sunscreens are unsafe or that people should stop using sunscreen.

We know that 1 in 5 Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime. It’s about weighing the real and known risks of UV radiation versus a very preliminary study on a product that can protect us from that risk. We have been using modern sunscreens for more than 70 years and have only seen benefit, not harm, in population studies of sunscreen users.

If you prefer not to use chemical-based sunscreens, there are other options. Two mineral sunscreens on the market include titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. Both are “generally recognized as safe and effective” by the FDA.

You can also follow these preventive steps to protect yourself from the sun:

• Avoid being out in the sun between the peak hours of 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. when the sun’s rays are the strongest
• Wear lightweight, protective clothing such as long sleeves and long pants, a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses.
• Apply sunscreen to exposed areas that provides “broad-spectrum” protection, is water-resistant and has a SPF of 30 or higher