Summer fun at the beach (Photo : Reuters)
Two studies on skin cancer conducted in the U.S. and the U.K. issued a week apart have reached the conclusions sunscreens aren't protecting you from the sun and might even cause skin cancer.
A new study from the British Association of Dermatologists noted that despite incessant warnings to use sunscreens when visiting the beach or spending time outdoors in the summer months from June to August, over 72 percent of the population reported receiving a sunburn last year.
In the United States, a new study by an American environmental group found that 80 percent of sunscreens offer "inferior sun protection or contain worrisome ingredients like oxybenzone and vitamin A".
The British study said the 72 percent segment was twice as likely to develop melanoma, a kind of type of skin cancer that forms from the pigment-containing cells in the skin. Despite melanoma being less common than other skin cancers, it causes 75 percent of deaths related to skin cancer. Australia and New Zealand have the highest rates of melanoma in the world.
Malignant melanoma, skin cancer's deadliest form, is the number one type of cancer in the United States and the fifth most common cancer in the U.K.
British researchers said one of three things might be causing people to be at greater risk from skin cancer despite slathering on sunscreens: not wearing the right kind of sunscreen; not reapplying sunscreen often enough or getting a false sense of security from using sunscreen.
But whatever the cause, it's the sunscreen that's increasing the risk of melanoma, said the study, as quoted by the Inquisitr.
In 2014, landmark studies revealed that sunscreen with a SPF (sun protection factor) of 50 didn't give complete protection from the development of skin cancer. This SPF offered minimal protection from the damaging effects of Ultraviolet A light (the cause of long-term skin cancer) and Ultraviolet B light (the cause of short-term skin cancer).
"People tend to think they're invincible once they've put it on and end up spending longer out in the sun, increasing their overall exposure to UV rays", said Dr. Julie Sharp of Cancer Research U.K., one of the authors of the new study.
"This research adds important evidence showing that sunscreen has a role, but that you shouldn't just rely on this to protect your skin."
Experts said people must make the extra effort to buy sunscreens that are effective against both UVA and UVB light.
In the U.S. study, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention asked people how often they use sunscreen when out in the sun for over an hour.
In response, only 14 percent of men said they regularly applied sunscreen liberally on their bodies. Some 30 percent of women used sunscreens. This report was published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
On the other hand, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) released its 2015 sunscreen guide last week that reviewed over 1,700 SPF products like sunscreens, lip balms and moisturizers. EWG is an American environmental organization that specializes in research and advocacy in the areas of toxic chemicals and corporate accountability, among others.
It reported that 80 percent of the products offer "inferior sun protection or contain worrisome ingredients like oxybenzone and vitamin A".
EWG noted oxybenzone is a chemical that can disrupt the hormone system. It also said there's some evidence suggesting that adding Vitamin A to the skin might increase sun sensitivity.
