History
Since the 1920’s, tanning has maintained its fashionable trend, but as researchers in the early 1920’s discovered the connection between ultraviolet rays and sunburn, sunscreens emerged to protect the skin. Sun tan lotion was more commonly used in the 1950’s however, it was only worn to obtain a tan without burning the skin. Then, in the 1970’s, sunscreens like the ones we know and use today appeared in the market to provide better skin defense.
Ultraviolet
Although some may think that the only risk in tanning is the chance of getting a little too red, the exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet rays can be much more detrimental. The sun emits two types of ultraviolet rays that could severely damage the skin: Ultraviolet A (UVA) and Ultraviolet B (UVB). UVA is a long wave radiation that infiltrates deeper than UVB. Not only does UVA cause the wrinkling of the skin, but it also harms connective tissues while UVB burns the skin and worsens the effects of UVA. Both induce tanning, but at the price of potential skin cancer.
Labels and Ingredients
Sunscreens are subject to more strict rules and regulations than cosmetics because they are classified as over-the-counter (OTC) drugs according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). As OTC drugs, sunscreens must comply with the OTC drug labeling requirements that authorize labels to include the concentration of each active ingredient, so distinguishing the difference between good and bad sunscreens can become difficult without the knowledge of the ingredients and terms.
Dermatologists will agree products that supply full spectrum UVB and UVA protection are important in preventing photo damage. However, labels that contain “broad spectrum” may not necessarily indicate full spectrum protection. In fact, sunscreens that have “broad spectrum” labels may only give defense against the near end of the UVA spectrum, according to some dermatologists. Since the FDA lacks certain testing procedures to measure broad spectrum protection, products that give full UVA protection are hard to distinguish from insufficient sunscreens. Although this issue has been addressed, the FDA has not taken serious action to set standards in skin protection products.
Labels that address water and sweat resistance can be differentiated more easily. Sunscreens with labels that include “Water Resistant”, “Water/Sweat Resistant” and “Water/Perspiration Resistant” denote the products sustain their sun protection factor (SPF) after 40 minutes of water interaction. The sunscreens with “Very Water Resistant”, “Very Water/Sweat Resistant” and “Very Water/Perspiration Resistant” indicate that they sustain their SPF after 80 minutes of water interaction.
Reading SPF
Recommendations for SPF levels can become confusing because it is a controversial area. SPF 15 filters out about 93 percent of UVB radiation while SPF 30 filters our about 97 percent which leads some to believe the use of SPF 30 to be better due to the insufficient application aspect. Sunscreens above SPF 30 are labeled “SPF 30+” or “SPF 30 plus”. Dermatologists who advocate SPF 30 sunscreens emphasize moderate and continuous use because in order to obtain the labeled SPF, their patients must apply the sunscreen just before going outside, reapply after 30 to 40 minutes, and continue to reapply every couple of hours, especially when active. But SPF doesn’t always provide the necessary and sufficient UVA protection.
Knowing UVA Protection
Since the “broad spectrum” label cannot be relied upon, sunscreen buyers need to look to the ingredients to find titanium dioxide, zinc oxide and avobenzone. Titanium dioxide provides some UVA protection while zinc oxide provides better ultraviolet radiation than any other ingredient. Avobenzone crosses the controversial line because its stability is often questioned. Although avobenzone seems to have the potential to be a decent UVA blocker, the combination and formulation of the sunscreen plays an important role for it. For example, if avobenzone does appear on a sunscreen ingredient list, the sunscreen would be satisfactory as long as it also contains octocrylene, which adds photostability.
Wearing Sunscreen
Even if the sunscreens with the right ingredients are purchased and worn, they may still prove inadequate due to poor application. No matter what sunscreen is used, the amount of sunscreen wore by the average person won’t provide more than three- to four-fold protection. On top of that, if people wore the best sunscreens in the world and actually applied the correct amounts onto their skin, only about half of ultraviolet light is blocked.
New Research
Studies show that the body uses antioxidants as part of its natural defense against ultraviolet radiation’s oxidative stress. Sunscreens that contain UVA blockers, such as zinc oxide, help limit the harm to the skin, but the body uses its own supply of antioxidants to fight ultraviolet radiation. Some of the body’s antioxidants utilized are vitamins C and E, glutathione, alpha-lipoic acid, and ubiquinone. Researchers are working in application of these antioxidants to see if they can add to the body’s own supply and improve ultraviolet radiation protection.
Vitamin C and E have both shown promise in skin application research studies. While vitamin C can provide about two-fold protection at its full potential, vitamin E can also give about the same when maximized. So when these two antioxidants are combined, the result is a four-fold protection effect. This combination also improves when ferulic acid, an omnipresent antioxidant in plants, is added and this creates an eight-fold protection from ultraviolet radiation.
Although many sunscreens on the market now include antioxidants, “C E Ferulic”, or “Skinceuticals”, is the only existing product that has the correct amounts of the three antioxidants. Most other vitamin C and E products are useless for skin protection.
Sunscreen Imports
Unlike the U.S., Europe sunscreens are classified as cosmetics instead of drugs, so approving new products is simple compared to the U.S. formalities. The FDA established the Time and Extent Application (TEA) in 2002 which gives OTC drugs with a marketing history of at least five continuous years outside the U.S. an inexpensive alternative. However, new companies have to file an Investigational New Drug Application (IND) and await approval or allow five years to pass.
Safer Tanning
Although many people know that sunbathing isn’t healthy for the skin, certain lifestyles are hard to break. One substitute for outdoor tanning is dihydroxyacetone (DHA)-based sunless tans which exclude ultraviolet. DHA tans are classified as cosmetic according to FDA so it passes the safety regulations for skin use. The DHA tan appears more natural on skin phototypes II and III that are still young and smooth, and even then, DHA tanning still needs practice. DHA-based products can last as long as four days, but the tan on the face generally vanishes faster because the skin is thinner and washed more. Maintaining an even tan may become quite an obstacle with a mismatch in tan length across the body. In addition, the DHA-based tan may include sunscreen, but the ultraviolet blockers wear off long before the color of the tan does.
A Final Note
Since the tan remains a fashionable trend today, the best people can do is appropriately protect themselves. Knowing the facts and the latest defensive products against ultraviolet will help prevent skin cancer and other ultraviolet damages.
