Despite the very well-established science linking sun exposure to skin cancer, the bad sun protection advice on social media just won’t stop — and a lot of people are buying it. inside Several recent studies, between one and three in 10 adults believe various myths about sunscreen and sun exposure; A few days ago, the Cleveland Clinic was forced to urge people to “Bear tanning“
Young people are especially likely to believe misleading messages about sun exposure, although they don’t have a monopoly on misunderstanding — or miscommunicating — science; Middle-aged podcast hosts (and Frequent seller of pseudoscience) Joe Rogan and Andrew Huberman also shared them for spreading misinformation. a lot experts Also the point per tick tock As a source of wild rumors and speculation about sunscreen.
Sun’s safety blunders have been going on for decades, but have escalated since the shakeup five years ago. Misleading actions and statements on sunscreen by the Food and Drug Administration. Then, last year, several aerosol products, including some sunscreens, were found to be contaminated Benzene – a known carcinogen – led to massive recalls. Additionally, a growing body of science suggests that little sun exposure has benefits, although public health authorities in all countries do not accept that science equally. recent Article Atlantic highlights offer a range of benefits associated with proof UV radiation. recommends a consortium of Australian public health groups A moderate amount of sun exposure To residents, based on some evidence, American public health authorities do not.
It’s no wonder so many people are confused about what’s true and what’s not about sunscreen. Understanding what’s behind the more common misleading statements about sun protection — and why people fall for them — can help.
4 Sunscreen Facts
Sun exposure causes skin cancer – and sunscreen prevents it
Michelle WongA cosmetic chemist based in Sydney, Australia, has been correcting sunscreen misconceptions for years on his YouTube channel, Lab Muffin Beauty Science. One of the worst continues to dominate: “Sunscreen is worse for you than skin cancer, or sunscreen causes skin cancer — yeah, I think those are always the ones that get the most traction,” she says.
People making these false claims are sometimes instructed to show information The US rate of the dangerous skin cancer melanoma has tripled Between 1975 and 2018, a period in which sunscreen technology evolved significantly. Although trends that occur at the same time are often unrelated, people sometimes suggest (without evidence) that more sunscreen is to blame.
One key data point they’re missing: Melanoma isn’t growing everywhere. In fact, in Australia, where the sunscreen culture is probably stronger than in any other country, melanoma has been in decline since 2005. In 2021, 70 to 80 percent Australians say they use sunscreen at least occasionally.
Moreover, Multiple studies Sun exposure has been linked to several types of skin cancer, though plenty of others Research Sunscreen has been shown to prevent several types of skin cancer.
Both chemical and mineral sunscreens are safe—and chemical may be more effective
There are two categories of sunscreens. Mineral formulations rely on minerals spread over the skin to physically reflect the sun’s rays; Zinc dioxide and titanium dioxide are two ingredients commonly used in these products. Meanwhile, chemical sunscreens contain substances that hydrate the skin, which absorb the sun’s radiation as it hits the skin; These include avobenzone, oxybenzone and a the range of other compounds.
In 2019, when the FDA was leaving Update its sunscreen guidelinesIt is an established marginal – a very low one of only half a nanogram per milliliter – which requires further study to determine whether absorption of these substances has any effect.data The FDA revealed the following year that all chemicals tested exceeded that threshold, sparking outrage about chemical sunscreens.
“No one actually applies sunscreen 100 percent correctly—there are always lots of gaps where UV can get through and produce vitamin D.”
These findings didn’t invalidate all the safety data the FDA already had on these products, they just required the agency to do more studies to understand whether the absorption of these chemicals into the bloodstream was meaningful in any way.
So far, attempts have been made to link chemical sunscreen ingredients to adverse health outcomes in animals and humans Very low quality To add a lot to what we know. Meanwhile, we know for sure that sunscreen has many protective benefits in reducing cancer risk.
Which is better for you? Wong prefers chemical sunscreens, “simply because there are so many limitations with mineral sunscreens that are kind of inherent” in their underlying structure. That is, mineral sunscreens are difficult to make so that their particles are evenly distributed on the skin, so they often don’t work.
Ultimately, however, the best sunscreen for you is the one you actually use.
You still get the benefits of occasional sun exposure even if you slather on sunscreen
There is a strong body of evidence supporting the benefits of UV radiation on bone health, mood, circadian rhythms, and vision, as noted. Australian Sun Exposure Guidelines. There may also be some benefit to the immune system, although supporting data are less clear.
Wearing sunscreen doesn’t block those benefits, Wang says. For starters, although it’s clear that vitamin D deficiency is associated with blocking the sun’s rays and wearing full-body clothing, research doesn’t link such deficiency with sunscreen use. “No one actually applies sunscreen 100 percent correctly—there are always lots of gaps where UV can get in and produce vitamin D,” she says.
SPF 50+ is better than SPF 50
Even high-SPF sunscreens — even above 50 — actually do, because of our imperfect application Better than SPF 50. In areas where your sunscreen application is half-baked, an SPF 100 that’s not fully covered will still offer some protection, while an SPF 50 in the same situation offers considerably less.
In 2007, the FDA said it would not allow sunscreens to be labeled with more than 50 SPF. concern The claim was misleading. However, studies have shown that higher SPFs translate to more protection: a Study Published in 2017, about 200 people in Vail, Colorado, applied SPF 50 sunscreen to one side of their face and SPF 100 to the other; The next day, 41 percent of them were sunburned on their SPF 50 side, compared to 14 percent on their SPF 100 side.
The tendency to believe sunscreen rumors has complex origins
Why such an appetite for misleading information about sunscreen?
Kathleen Jamieson, a misinformation researcher who directs the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, said part of the appeal may be related to people’s innate skepticism about synthetic chemicals. “Like humans there is some tendency to reject [a product] Because it’s not natural,” she says — and on the other hand, “the sun is natural.”
American public health experts also haven’t slammed sunscreen messaging like authorities in Australia, which has a sun protection culture Incredibly powerful. Generally speaking, the public knows “virtually nothing” about public health, Jamieson says, “unless it’s told to them a lot.”
Skin cancer is a smaller public concern in the United States than in Australia, where it occurs at one of the highest rates worldwide. Because the nation has something The world’s highest level of ultraviolet radiationrelated to 66 percent Australians will get skin cancer in their lifetime, compared to 20 percent “The way you create trust is a situation where it becomes relatively clear that those who followed the health guidelines benefited, and those who didn’t died,” says Jamieson of The Americans. Perhaps because skin cancer feels less of a crisis in the United States — at least for now — Americans are less likely to feel a rush to follow health guidelines to prevent it.
“Sometimes when there’s a very black-and-white view, people realize it’s BS.”
There may also be something about the relatively balanced message Australians receive about sun exposure that makes them more likely to trust its sources. In the 1990s, the country a Recurrence of rickets, a bone disease associated with vitamin D deficiency, caused by extreme sun avoidance. Since then, Australian public health experts have tried to balance strong sun protection education with encouraging a moderate amount of sun exposure, Wang said. The last of the nation recommendation It even includes a series of complex grids intended to help people with different shades of skin determine how many minutes they should spend in the sun, depending on where they live and how covered their skin is. The guidelines take into account the fact that people with darker skin tones are at lower risk of sunburn and skin cancer than people with lighter skin tones and can safely tolerate more exposure.
Meanwhile, Wong observed that some American dermatologists recommend wearing sunscreen all winter, even indoors (which science says Hardly necessary), and a few US the sun security recommendation Mention the benefits of getting a little sunlight.
“Sometimes when there’s a very black and white approach, people realize it’s BS,” Wong says.
Despite getting the Australian public health right about communicating about sun protection, misunderstandings about sunscreen have long been prevalent among the Australian public. In 2017, About half Australian adults did not accept daily sunscreen use as safe.
That was before TikTok became the cultural force it is today. We cannot blame influencers for everything.
