As a fair skinned lass of Irish descent, I have a long committed relationship with sunscreen so I was quite alarmed when I recently heard a news report that sunscreen contains chemicals that could potentially pose health hazards. Prior to ditching the sunscreen and moving to the South Pole, I decided to do my homework….
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) and similar organizations have concerns with some sunscreen ingredients such as oxybenzone. Oxybenzone is a common UV filter, and one of the most widely used organic UVA filters in sunscreens today. It is also used in nail polish, fragrances, hairspray, and cosmetics as a photostabilizer. Despite its photoprotective qualities, much controversy surrounds oxybenzone because of its possible hormonal and photoallergenic effects.
Dermatologists say there is no reason to toss your sunscreen since many of the studies that claim oxybenzone is hazardous were performed by injecting the compound directly into the test animal, while sunscreen is applied topically. “If you covered your entire body with oxybenzone in the concentrations that are in sunscreens and used it every day, it would take over 30 years to get to the point of what these rats were fed in these studies,” says dermatologist Darrell Rigel, MD, FAAD, who is a clinical professor of dermatology at New York University Langone Medical Center.
Nearly all top experts and skin-health groups including the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) agree that sunscreen is safe — and works when used properly! A major study tracked more than 1,600 adults over 10 years. Those who wore sunscreen every day cut their risk of melanoma in half.
What else should you know about using sunscreen? Read about sunscreen and the rest of this post here.