Tag Archives: Sunscreen

Sunscreen Doesn’t Stop Vitamin D Production

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You’ve probably heard that your body needs at least a little straight-up sunshine to produce good-for-you vitamin D. But ask your dermatologist, and she’ll tell you that it’s never a good idea to expose unprotected skin to the sun. So how do you get your vitamin D without increasing your risk of sunburn and skin cancer?

Good news: Your body can produce vitamin D even while you’re wearing sunscreen, according to new research from King’s College London’s Institute of Dermatology.

For the study, researchers measured the vitamin D levels of 79 men and women before and after a one-week beach trip to a Spanish island. Half of the participants made sure to properly apply a sunscreen with SPF 15, while the other half hit the beach with bare skin. As you would expect, sunscreen helped protect the sunbathers from burns. And as for vitamin D? Both groups’ vitamin D levels soared—a good thing, since this essential nutrient keeps your bones strong, boosts your immunity, fends off depression, and lowers your cancer risk, according to data from the National Institutes of Health.

While the bare-skinned group had slightly higher levels of vitamin D at the end of the study, researchers say that the difference between the groups wasn’t significant enough to warrant skipping sunscreen. That’s big news, considering previous research found that sunscreen can significantly inhibit vitamin D synthesis and that the National Institutes of Health currently recommends up to 30 minutes of unprotected sun exposure at least twice a week.

The thing is, the studies that came before this one weren’t perfect: They didn’t track the kinds and amounts of sunscreen used, relied on artificial light rather than sunlight, and/or failed to measure UV exposure, says the new study’s author, Antony Young, professor of experimental photobiology at King’s College London’s Institute of Dermatology.

Researchers still don’t know whether a higher SPF could interrupt vitamin D production or exactly how much sun you need for sufficient vitamin D synthesis, says Young. One thing’s for sure, though: Regular use of sunscreen can lower your risk of skin cancer—and based on Young’s findings, slathering on sunscreen looks like it won’t block the sun you need to ward off vitamin D deficiency.

photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock

More from WH:
Why You Need Vitamin D
Vitamin D: Do You Get Enough?
Delicious Ways to Eat More Essential Nutrients

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Get This: Expensive Sunscreen Isn’t Necessarily Better

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Check out the list of links that should be on your radar today:

Protecting your skin doesn’t have to wipe out your cash supply: Expensive sunscreens often aren’t any more effective than cheaper brands, according to new ratings in Consumer Reports. [Business Insider]

Good news for breast cancer patients: New technology let surgeons treating lumpectomy patients spot remaining cancer cells at the end of the first surgery—reducing the need for repeat procedures by 56 percent. [ScienceDaily]

The TSA has abandoned its effort to allow small knives on planes. Phew. [USA Today] 

Sending and receiving emails at work may increase your blood pressure, heart rate, and cortisol levels, according to a new study. [Medical Daily]

Not only do energy drinks pose health risks, but now research finds that the “secret ingredients” in them don’t even work. [Newser]

The latest dangerous drinking trend: pouring booze over dry ice so you can inhale the alcohol. It hurts just thinking about it. [TIME.com]

Research finds that men who are tired are more likely to believe you want to hook up with them. Well, that explains a lot of late-night bar miscommunications. [The Atlantic]

Just try not to roll your eyes while reading this headline: “Cheerful women are not associated with leadership qualities—but proud ones are.” [EurekAlert]

Even more reason to skip fast food: In a recent test, the ice served at many of the big chains was dirtier than toilet water. [The Daily Meal]

photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock

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EWG Makes Sunscreen Recommendations

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Have you made your first drugstore run of the season to stock up on sunscreen? If not, you’re in for a surprise: All products claiming to shield your skin from the sun—lotions, sprays, makeup, even lip balms—must now follow new labeling rules mandated by the FDA. Banned are fuzzy buzzwords such as “sunblock” and “sweatproof” in favor of more accurate, research-backed terms that give consumers a clear sense of how well the product protects against UV-induced skin damage and skin cancer.

On the heels of the new rules comes an annual report from the Environmental Working Group that lists the top sunscreens of 2013. Released this week by the advocacy organization, the report recommends more than 100 products out of thousands currently available on store shelves. To get the EWG’s seal of approval, sunscreens had to offer solid sun protection not exceeding SPF values above “50+”(which the FDA warns can give a false sense of security and offer poor UVA protection relative to the high SPF). They also had to contain the fewest possible ingredients with toxicity concerns, such as retinyl palmitate (an ingredient that become more toxic or harmful when exposed to sunlight) and oxybenzone (a hormone disruptor).

The EWG also chose not to endorse sprays or powders since some sunscreen ingredients, such as titanium dioxide, have been classified by the International Agency for Research on Carcinogens as possibly carcinogenic if inhaled (the risk of inhaling sunscreen goes up, of course, if you’re using a sunscreen spray or powder). EWG representatives say the organization also chose to exclude powders and sprays because the FDA has expressed concerns about how well these filter UV rays.

For the record, any sunscreen product that doesn’t meet the EWG’s criteria (including sprays and powders) has not been deemed unsafe by the FDA, says Andrea Fischer, an FDA spokesperson. She confirmed that all sunscreens marketed in the U.S. must meet FDA guidelines.

A few examples of sunscreens recommended by the EWG:

  • Absolutely Natural Sunscreen, SPF 30
  • Alba Botanica Natural Very Emollient Mineral Sunscreen, Fragrance Free, SPF 30
  • Aveeno Baby Natural Protection Face Stick, SPF 50
  • Burt’s Bees Baby Bee Sunscreen Stick, SPF 30
  • Coppertone Sensitive Skin Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 50
  • Kiss My Face Natural Mineral Sunscreen with Hydresia, SPF 40

Check out the full list from the EWG, then read up on which terms you should look for on the next bottle you buy:

 

Broad spectrum
Manufacturers used to be able to put these two words—which mean a product protects against both UVA and UVB rays—on any bottle they wanted, without having to prove it. Now, it can only show up on sunscreens that pass a test.

Water-resistant
No sunscreen is truly waterproof or sweatproof—so manufacturers can no longer use these words on the bottle. In its place is “water resistant,” meaning that the product starts to wash away after either 40 minutes or 80 minutes. The time limit will be noted on the label, so consumers know when they need to apply more (although you should reapply every two hours even if you’re not in the water, says Albert M. Lefkovits, associate clinical professor of dermatology at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine).

Sun protection factor
Surprise: An SPF of 60 barely blocks any more UV rays than an SPF of 30 (they protect against 95 and 98 percent, respectively). Since the difference is so small, the FDA has now banned SPFs above 50+ to avoid misleading the public. Another change: Now sunscreens with SPF 15 and under come with a warning since they protect you from sunburn, but not premature skin aging or skin cancer.

Drug facts
You’re used to seeing this on the back of any container of over-the-counter meds. Now, it’s on your sunscreen too. It contains a list of the product’s active ingredients, warnings about potential dangers or interactions, and basic directions.

Sun protection measures
To remind consumers that sunscreen isn’t foolproof, all broad-spectrum products with an SPF of at least 15 will now advise that wearing long sleeves, a hat, sunglasses, and staying out of the midday sun, when UV rays are strongest, will also cut back on your skin damage odds.

photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock

More From Women’s Health:
The Cost of Skipping Sun Safety
6 Scary Sunscreen Ingredients and 6 Safe Products
6 Smart, Sexy SPF Tips

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Crazy But True: One In Four Melanoma Survivors Don’t Use Sunscreen

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You’d think that skin cancer survivors would be hyper-vigilant about wearing sunscreen and staying out of the sun, but not always: More than 27 percent of people who’ve had melanomas removed say they don’t use sunscreen—and 2.1 percent have actually gone to a tanning salon recently, according to new findings presented earlier this week at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.

Researchers analyzed data from the Center for Disease Control’s 2010 National Health Interview Survey, an annual, nationally representative survey of people in the U.S. that asks questions on a wide range of health topics. What they were looking for in particular: participants’ self-reported history of melanoma, as well as how that corresponded to their sun protection and indoor tanning habits.

Of the adults in the survey, 171 had a prior history of melanoma and 26,949 didn’t. “Using this very robust data source, we were able to determine that melanoma survivors in general do a better job on staying out of the sun, using sunscreen, and so on—but we still could be doing much better,” says study author Anees B. Chagpar, MD, an associate professor in the department of surgery at Yale University School of Medicine. Of the non-melanoma survivors, 35.4 percent of people said that they never use sunscreen. When you look at the flip side of that—how many people say they always use sunscreen—melanoma survivors also do better than people who haven’t had any of the serious skin cancers removed (32 percent versus 17 percent). But here’s the scariest part: When you control for other demographic factors like race and age, people who’d had melanoma were no less likely to say they’d visited a tanning salon in the last year than people who hadn’t had the disease.

“Truthfully, that blew my mind,” says Chagpar. “All of this really does raise the question of: Are there some behaviors like tanning that just may be habits that are very difficult to break?”

Whether or not indoor tanning is addictive, it is certainly dangerous—particularly for melanoma survivors, who are nine times more likely to get a subsequent melanoma, says Chagpar. While this group needs to be particularly proactive, people who haven’t had skin cancer in the past certainly aren’t off the hook when it comes to staying safe.

“The fact that over a third of people in general never wear sunscreen is problematic,” says Chagpar. “This study really sends a message to both groups that we really could be doing a much better job in terms of protecting ourselves from the harmful rays of the sun and certainly the harmful rays of indoor tanning salons.”

In addition to never, ever indoor tanning, you should apply SPF—the higher, the better—whenever you’ll be outdoors for an extended period of time, says Chagpar. You’ll also need to reapply it every few hours, and it’s a good idea to wear hats, long sleeves, and a long skirt or pants (if you can bear it).

“These are common sense public health messages that wev’e been sending for a long time,” says Chagpar. “I think this is simply a wakeup call that we know these answers, we just could be doing a better job of actually following them.”

photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock

More From Women’s Health:
Tanning Beds: Skin Cancer Kills
What’s Your Skin Cancer Risk?
The New Skin Cancer Fighter

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