Spring Break
Sunscreen isn't a panacea, so be aware of danger
Kate Santich
Orlando Sentinel
Issue date: 4/20/06 Section: The Mix
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Like a lot of blond-haired, fair-skinned people, 34-year-old Jonjon Baus slathers on sunscreen before he heads outdoors. As a bicyclist and runner, he opts for the sweat-proof formulas, and because he rarely gets sunburned, he figures he's safe.
"That's really how I gauge how effective my sun protection is," says Baus, a manager for Track Shack, an Orlando, Fla., running store.
But in the wake of a class-action lawsuit filed recently in California against sunscreen manufacturers - claiming they have fraudulently exaggerated the effectiveness of their products - Baus has started to wonder.
In fact, although dermatologists still recommend the liberal use of sunscreen, they warn that it's entirely possible for the sun to damage skin without burning it, and that most of the sunscreens currently on the market do a better job preventing sunburn than they do at preventing other problems - including premature wrinkles, age spots and even skin cancer.
And neither sun protection factor (SPF) ratings nor the labeling of a product as "broad-spectrum" gives consumers any information on how much they'll be shielded against ultraviolet A rays, which don't cause burning but do cause aging of the skin and potentially cancer.
"I wish sunscreens were better. That would be terrific. But they're not," says Dr. James Spencer, a St. Petersburg, Fla., dermatologist and clinical professor of dermatology for Mount Sinai School of Medicine. "But they are a useful tool, and like any tool, if you don't use it properly, it doesn't work."
The problem is that many people may expect too much from a sunscreen, Spencer says, putting themselves at risk for skin cancer by spending too much time in the sun.
The confusion comes in part because there are different types of sunlight responsible for skin damage - mainly UVA and UVB. Because UVB is what causes sunburn and has a well-established link with skin cancer, it is generally considered more harmful. But scientists now believe UVA causes much of the premature aging of the skin and, more critically, much of the skin's genetic damage, which may also lead to skin cancer. UVA rays can even penetrate windows to reach people indoors.
"That's really how I gauge how effective my sun protection is," says Baus, a manager for Track Shack, an Orlando, Fla., running store.
But in the wake of a class-action lawsuit filed recently in California against sunscreen manufacturers - claiming they have fraudulently exaggerated the effectiveness of their products - Baus has started to wonder.
In fact, although dermatologists still recommend the liberal use of sunscreen, they warn that it's entirely possible for the sun to damage skin without burning it, and that most of the sunscreens currently on the market do a better job preventing sunburn than they do at preventing other problems - including premature wrinkles, age spots and even skin cancer.
And neither sun protection factor (SPF) ratings nor the labeling of a product as "broad-spectrum" gives consumers any information on how much they'll be shielded against ultraviolet A rays, which don't cause burning but do cause aging of the skin and potentially cancer.
"I wish sunscreens were better. That would be terrific. But they're not," says Dr. James Spencer, a St. Petersburg, Fla., dermatologist and clinical professor of dermatology for Mount Sinai School of Medicine. "But they are a useful tool, and like any tool, if you don't use it properly, it doesn't work."
The problem is that many people may expect too much from a sunscreen, Spencer says, putting themselves at risk for skin cancer by spending too much time in the sun.
The confusion comes in part because there are different types of sunlight responsible for skin damage - mainly UVA and UVB. Because UVB is what causes sunburn and has a well-established link with skin cancer, it is generally considered more harmful. But scientists now believe UVA causes much of the premature aging of the skin and, more critically, much of the skin's genetic damage, which may also lead to skin cancer. UVA rays can even penetrate windows to reach people indoors.
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