Properly using sunscreen will greatly decrease your child's risk of getting a sunburn.
It should also reduce his risk of getting some forms of skin cancer.
Nobody wants their kids to get sunburned or skin cancer, so you would think that using sunscreen wouldn't generate any controversy or debate, right?
Like many other parenting issues, wearing sunscreen is not without its share of sunscreen controversies.
Sunscreen Controversies
Some of the more popular sunscreen controversies and things that generate discussions among people about sunscreen include:
- The thought that an over-reliance on sunscreen for sun protection may lead to more time in the sun for many kids.
- Sunscreens don't provide full sun protection. While some sunscreens provide protection against UVB rays and others provide more broad-spectrum UVA and UVB protection, no sunscreen can truly block all of the sun's rays.
- The FDA has not updated the rules for sunscreen labels in over 30 years, although new sunscreen labels have been proposed, including a four-star UVA rating system, and could be released soon. These new rules and labels should make it easier for parents to compare and choose sunscreens that truly provide broad-spectrum sun protection.
- Many new sunscreen ingredients that are approved in Japan and Europe, such as Mexoryl XL, Tinosorb M, Tinosorb S, Uvinil T 150, Uvasorb HEB, and Parsol SLX, have not been approved by the FDA for use in new sunscreens in the United States. Faster approval of these sunscreen ingredients, many of provide better UVA protection than the sunscreens currently approved in the United States, is advocated by many people. If more of these sunscreen ingredients get approved in the United States it might not affect the sunscreens that we use on our kids though, as the last new sunscreen ingredient that was approved, Mexoryl SX, only ended up in high-end sunscreens.
- The FDA doesn't recognize some of the claims that are used on sunscreen labels, such as sweat proof or waterproof, preferring the terms water-resistant and very water-resistant instead, as they make it clearer that the sunscreen will eventually come off in the water or vigorous exercise, even if it stay on longer than others that are not water-resistant.
- Using sunscreen decreases your child's ability to make vitamin D. While this is certainly true and vitamin D is a very important vitamin that helps children develop strong bones and protects them from developing osteoporosis (weak bones that break easily), getting vitamin D from other sources can prevent them from developing vitamin D deficiency. These alternative sources of vitamin D can include vitamin D supplements, milk, and other food sources of vitamin D.
- A sunscreen's SPF rating only indicates how well it blocks UVB rays, but there is no good way to know if a sunscreen blocks UVA rays besides checking the sunscreen ingredients list or looking for terms like broad-spectrum or UVA and UVB protection on the label. Even then, until the new UVA rating system comes out for sunscreens, there is no way to determine how good a sunscreen's UVA protection is.
- When used properly, a high SPF sunscreen (SPF 70 to SPF 100) does not provide that much extra protection than an SPF 30 or SPF 50 sunscreen, which block 97% to 98% of the sun's UVB rays. Many parents don't use sunscreen properly though, using too little sunscreen and not reapplying sunscreen often enough, in which case a high SPF sunscreen would likely offer more sun protection than you would expect.
- Newer forms of physical sunscreens, like titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, which are now micronized into nanoparticles, are thought by some people to be more harmful than the older versions, but some studies show that they have very limited skin penetration and are safe.
- Vitamin A, also known as retinyl palmitate, an inactive ingredient in many brands of sunscreen, may be linked to tumors and skin lesions, although keep in mind that the studies were only done in sun-exposed lab animals.
- Some sunscreen ingredients, such as oxybenzone, may penetrate the skin and cause endocrine or hormone problems, although other studies did not see any effect. Oxybenzone is also thought to be a common cause of skin reactions involving sunscreens.
- Sunscreen run-off from our bodies into lakes and the ocean can affect the environment.
Of these sunscreen controversies and debates, the only ones that may concern some parents are the ones concerning the safety of sunscreens that contain retinyl palmitate and oxybenzone.
Are they safe?
It depends on who you ask, and although many experts already think they are safe, more studies are likely being done. Even though these ingredients are present in 40 to 60 percent of sunscreens, there are alternative sunscreens with other ingredients. If you are concerned, look for a sunscreen that does not list vitamin A or retinyl palmitate on the inactive ingredients list and has an alternative active ingredient, such as avobenzone or Mexoryl SX, instead of oxybenzone.
Melanoma and Sunscreen Controversy
Regular sunscreen use will reduce your child's risk of developing squamous cell carcinoma, a type of skin cancer. Unfortunately, some studies suggest that using sunscreen regularly may increase his risk for melanoma, a more deadly form of skin cancer.
This is one sunscreen controversy that parents don't have to be too worried about. Although some studies did show an increased risk of melanoma with sunscreen use, others showed a decreased risk, and even more were inconclusive. One study that analyzed 9,067 patients in 11 case-controlled studies concluded that there was no relationship between an increased risk of melanoma and using sunscreen.
If you are still concerned, make sure that you aren't allowing your child to spend extra time in the sun just because he is wearing sunscreen and take other precautions, such as limiting sun exposure from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., when the sun's rays are strongest, covering up with a wide brimmed hat, sunglasses, and dark, tightly woven clothing.
Sources:
Coronado M. Estrogenic activity and reproductive effects of the UV-filter oxybenzone (2-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl-methanone) in fish. Aquat Toxicol - 21-NOV-2008; 90(3): 182-7
FDA. FDA Aims to Upgrade Sunscreen Labeling August 2007. Accessed July 2010.
Environmental Working Group. Environmental Working Group 2010 Sunscreen Guide Accessed July 2010.
Hexsel, Camile L, M.D. Current sunscreen issues: 2007 Food and Drug Administration sunscreen labelling recommendations and combination sunscreen/insect repellent products. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology - Volume 59, Issue 2 (August 2008)
Huncharek M. Use of topical sunscreens and the risk of malignant melanoma: a meta-analysis of 9067 patients from 11 case-control studies. Am J Public Health - 01-JUL-2002; 92(7): 1173-7
The New York Times. What We Still Don't Know About Sunscreens July 6, 2010. Accessed July 2010.
