6/1/2009
Your Health:
Sunscreen isn't just about SPF
By Kim Painter, USA TODAY
When you read a sunscreen label, don't skip the fine
print — and don't forget to read between the lines.
Consumers who want to save their skin
this summer need to be vigilant, sun protection experts say,
because confusing, sometimes misleading labels still line
drugstore shelves nearly two years after the Food and Drug
Administration proposed new labeling rules. Companies that
make the products say they comply with current rules.
The new rules could be finalized by
September, says FDA spokeswoman Rita Chapelle. Companies
will then have up to 18 months to comply, she says.
In the meantime, consumers are stuck
with current labels, which usually emphasize, in big
letters, just one fact about a product: its SPF, or sun
protection factor. That fact is good to know.
But "there's a huge misconception
that the SPF number is all you need to know," says Sonya
Lunder, a senior analyst for the Environmental Working
Group, a non-profit watchdog group that studies sunscreen
ingredients and labels.
Here are other things savvy label
readers should know:
•The truth about SPF. These
numbers reflect how well a product screens out ultraviolet B
(UVB) rays, which cause burning and contribute to skin
cancer. An SPF of 15 means unprotected skin would burn 15
times faster than skin slathered with a thick coating of the
product. It does not mean you can stay in the sun 15 times
longer without suffering any skin damage.
• The skinny on UVA. Right
now, labels don't have to say anything about how well a
product screens ultraviolet A (UVA) rays, which penetrate
deeper than UVB rays and contribute to skin aging and
cancer. Under the proposed FDA rules, UVA protection will be
rated on a four-star scale. For now, consumers should look
for labels that tout "broad spectrum" protection and list
ingredients known to screen UVA rays, says dermatologist
David Pariser of Norfolk, Va., president of the American
Academy of Dermatology.
• The key ingredients. Look
for avobenzone, oxybenzone, titanium dioxide, zinc oxide or
ecamsule (also known as Mexoryl SX). An effective
broad-spectrum sunscreen should contain one or more of
those, says the Skin Cancer Foundation. Additional
ingredients are under FDA review.
• Two terms to take with a grain
of salt (or sand). "Waterproof" (there's no such thing
because all sunscreens wash, rub or sweat off) and "sunblock"
(these products screen but do not block the sun's rays),
says Henry Lim, chairman of the department of dermatology at
Henry Ford Hospital in Dearborn, Mich., and a
spokesman for the Skin Cancer Foundation. The proposed rules
ban both terms but would allow products that pass certain
tests to be labeled resistant or very resistant to water and
sweat.
• "Baby" does not mean "baby."
The fine print on those pink bottles marketed as baby
products says you should ask a doctor about using them on
babies under 6 months old. Ask a doctor (or the American
Academy of Pediatrics) and they'll urge you to keep your
baby out of the sun or shielded with hats, stroller canopies
and clothing — and to use a small amount of sunscreen on
face and hands only if exposure is unavoidable.
And here's something current labels
may or may not say: Everyone who uses sunscreen should also
limit time in the sun and wear protective clothing when
possible. Under the proposed new rules, all sunscreen labels
will say all three steps are important.
In other words, sunscreen is no
substitute for common sense, hats, sunglasses, sleeves and
shade.
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