More than 2 million Americans are diagnosed with skin cancer each year, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation. While most skin cancers are curable, squamous cell carcinomas kill 2,500 Americans a year and melanoma kills 8,700, according to the American Cancer Society.
No wonder we need to use sunscreen more often.
But how do we know the sunscreens we buy are the real deal? Meaning, how do we know how well a sunscreen protects them from skin cancer and wrinkles, not just sunburns?
Well, the FDA is here to help. The FDA approved new labels on sunscreen that will come out next summer. The new sunscreen labels will show which products offer “broad protection” from both major forms of ultraviolation radiation, or UV. Although sunscreens currently promote their sunburn protection factor, or SPF, this system measures only protection from burns.
One form, called UVA, causes wrinkles, while another, UVB, causes burns. Both can cause skin cancer, according to the American Cancer Society.
New sunscreen labels will allow products to claim “broad spectrum” protection only if they pass specific FDA tests for blocking UVA rays, and if they have an SPF value of at least 15, says Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation. This is the first standard for UVA.
Products that don’t protect against UVA, or which have an SPF of less than 15, will have to carry a warning, noting that they don’t protect against skin cancer, Woodcock says. Sunscreens also will have to carry a “drug facts” box that provides detailed more detailed information about sun protection.
This is great news.
See the list of the current best sunscreens here.
Although some sunscreens already claim to offer “broad spectrum” protection, consumers have had no way to know what that meant, because there was no formal standard, says Darrell Rigel, past president of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery.
“In the past, the words ‘broad spectrum’ meant nothing,” Rigel says. “Now, we can tell patients what to look for.”
The new labels will give consumers confidence that they’re getting very good protection, since products that earn the “broad spectrum” label will protect people from 90% of UVA radiation, says Urvashi Rangan, a scientist with Consumers Union, which publishes Consumer Reports.
Under the new rule, sunscreens will no longer be allowed to market themselves as “sun block,” “sweat proof” or “water proof,” Woodcock says. Instead, sunscreens will be allowed to say only whether they are “water resistant” for either 40 minutes or 80 minutes.
In a proposed rule, which has not yet taken effect, the FDA would also bar sunscreens from claiming SPF values above 50, because there is no way to scientifically prove these claims. Instead, sunscreens will be allowed to claim only that products are “SPF 50+.”
Sunscreen manufacturers may not be able to meet the new requirements by next summer’s deadline, said Farah Ahmed, of the Personal Care Products Council, an industry group, in a statement. Manufacturers usually need two years to make such sweeping changes, she said, especially given the limited number of facilities that can perform these tests.
The industry group praised the FDA’s conclusions about nanoparticles used in many sunscreens, such as those with titanium dioxide or zinc oxide. These particles, which are spectacularly small, do not penetrate the skin, meaning that they don’t pose a health risk, Woodcock says.
As a reminder, the American Academy of Dermatology recommends both adults and children use a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30. Babies under 6 months old shouldn’t get any direct sunlight, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
It may be even more important to use enough sunscreen, says dermatologist Henry Lim, who spoke at the FDA event. He notes that most people get much less sunburn protection than they might think simply because they don’t use enough of the product.
The average person needs about 1 ounce of sunscreen – enough to fill a shot glass – to cover the body. Most people use only one-quarter to one-half that amount, Lim says.
See the list of the current best sunscreens here.
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