The Sunscreen Myth

I really need to control myself and never read your posts again. They frustrate me. Better yet, maybe you could stay off this forum. Just a thought. Sigh.

Guess we all just have to keep giving it the old “college try”, Mary!! So…for any folks new to the forum and have questions about sunscreen….

YES!!!! Anything we put on our skin can be absorbed through our skin! NOT NEWS! We have administered medications that way for years and years. Sometimes that’s how we want to administer them. We can use powders, creams, ointments, patches, etc. Sometimes we want them for local effect only….like neosporin on a cut or hydrocortisone on a rash. In those cases we have to make sure that we DON’T get too much absorbed systemically. That’s why your doc will tell you not to put on cortisone preparations too often, in too strong a formulation, or in a sensitive area like your face. Alternatively, there are some meds placed on the skin in order to get systemic effects – ADD meds, help with nicotine addiction, heart meds, etc. So………… with sunscreen we don’t really want to absorb the meds/chemicals it contains…we just want the protection from the sun’s harmful rays.

In case you are confused about this whole topic, here is a link to an article that covers recent discoveries pretty well: https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/06/health/sunscreen-bloodstream-fda-study/index.html
Within the article it states:
“In an editorial accompanying the new study, former FDA Chairman Dr. Robert Califf assured readers that just because the research found chemical levels “well above the FDA guideline does not mean these ingredients are unsafe.” The Personal Care Products Council, the national trade council for sunscreen, cosmetic and personal care products, agreed in a statement.
“The presence of sunscreens in plasma after maximal use does not necessarily lead to safety issues,” said Alex Kowcz, chief scientist for the council.
“It’s important for consumers to know that for the purpose of this study, sunscreens were applied to 75% of the body, four times per day for four days — which is twice the amount that would be applied in what the scientific community considers real-world conditions,” Kowcz said. The council was concerned, she said, that the FDA’s study might confuse consumers and discourage the use of sunscreen.”

Well, there you go! Some folks have gotten confused about what the study means!!!

Further, the article notes, “So, should you stop using sunscreen? Absolutely not, experts say. “Studies need to be performed to evaluate this finding and determine whether there are true medical implications to absorption of certain ingredients,” said Yale School of Medicine dermatologist Dr. David Leffell, a spokesman for the American Academy of Dermatology. He added that in the meantime, people should “continue to be aggressive about sun protection.”

Bottom line ~ if you want to protect yourself and the planet…
1. Avoid sunscreens that contain oxybenzone and octinoxate. The former may cause adverse effects in humans and the later harms our water ecosystems. Lots of companies have banned the use of these chemicals in sunscreens already.
2. Use a mineral sunscreen containing titanium dioxide and zinc oxide instead.
3. Avoid being outside between 10 and 2 when the sun’s rays are the strongest.
4. Wear hats, use umbrellas, and wear protective clothing when you can.
5. DO NOT use tanning beds. EVER. JUST DON’T!!! And help pass legislation that makes it illegal for children to use them.
6. Be aware. The sun’s rays have been PROVEN to facilitate the development of melanoma. Not in every human. Not in every melanoma sufferer. But, it has. Been PROVEN. Not a question. So….protect yourself and those you love.

celeste

There’s a difference between apparent correlation and cause and effect. 20 some years ago when I was a new Mom there were articles about a study that the use of night lights in a baby’s room increased the risk of nearsightedness. There was a correlation but it wasn’t cause and effects. When Scrutinized it was found that the stronger correlation was the use of nightlights in a baby’s room by near sighted parents. When they removed the nearsighted parents from the data , there was no correlation to nightlight use.

What else increased in the timeframe of sunscreen use? Tanning beds come to mind. There’s a known correlation of tanning beds to melanoma. Also, the ‘tan is beautiful’ is a relatively modern trend.

The CDC study and the JAMA article both stated that more study was needed to determine if the levels measured were harmful or carcinogenic. The makers of that video either didn’t read these resources or just extracted what worked for them. That’s lousy science.

I’ve already responded to you about the vitamin D hype.

Perhaps you should read more articles on scientific method and statistics.