Sunscreen isn'ta panacea, so be aware of danger

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Against: the makers of five major sunscreens, including Coppertone, Banana Boat, Hawaiian Tropic, Neutrogena and Bullfrog.

Claim: that the manufacturers used deceptive advertising and labeling to promote their products, even though they knew "or should have known" their products weren't capable of doing everything they were advertised to do.

Seeking: an injunction against the allegedly fraudulent claims, compensation for consumers and other remedies, including a public education program on sun protection paid for by the industry.

Response: The companies have vigorously denied the allegations.

- When possible, wear a broad-brimmed hat, long-sleeved shirt, long pants and UV-light-blocking sunglasses.

- Try to stay in the shade between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., when the sun is most intense.

- Apply sunscreen liberally to all exposed skin, using a product with an SPF of 15 or higher and one that advertises both UVA and UVB protection. Reapply every two hours, more often after swimming or sweating.

- Use extra protection for children. Melanoma is thought to be linked to early childhood sunburns. Also use extra caution near water and sand as they reflect the sun's damaging rays.

- Avoid tanning beds. The UV light used causes skin cancer and wrinkling. Self-tanning lotions and sprays are a safe alternative, but wear sunscreen for protection outdoors.

even if you use sunscreen. What precautions do you take to stay safe from the sun? Talk about it. TIP-don't buy anything over SPF25. you're wasting money.The higher the SPF factor, the LESS stable they are.They break down more quickly cause of the amount of emulsifier that has to be added to them.You can buy an SPF50, but have to apply 3x as much of it to get the same protection, & more often!

8:18 PM EDT, Apr 11, 2006 Read more comments or post your own

Like a lot of blond-haired, fair-skinned people, 34-year-old Jonjon Baus slathers on sunscreen before he heads outdoors. As a bicyclist and runner, he opts for the sweatproof formulas, and because he rarely gets a sunburn, he figures he's safe.

"That's really how I gauge how effective my sun protection is," says Baus, a manager for Track Shack, an Orlando running store.

But in the wake of a class-action lawsuit filed recently in California against sunscreen manufacturers -- claiming they have fraudulently exaggerated the effectiveness of their products -- Baus has started to wonder.

In fact, although dermatologists still recommend the liberal use of sunscreen, they warn that it's entirely possible for the sun to damage skin without burning it, and that most of the sunscreens currently on the market do a better job preventing sunburn than they do at preventing other problems -- including premature wrinkles, age spots and even skin cancer.

And neither sun protection factor (SPF) ratings nor the labeling of a product as "broad-spectrum" gives consumers any information on how much they'll be shielded against ultraviolet A rays, which don't cause burning but do cause aging of the skin and potentially cancer.

"I wish sunscreens were better. That would be terrific. But they're not," says Dr. James Spencer, a St. Petersburg dermatologist and clinical professor of dermatology for Mount Sinai School of Medicine. "But they are a useful tool, and like any tool, if you don't use it properly, it doesn't work."

The problem is that many people may expect too much from a sunscreen, Spencer says, putting themselves at risk for skin cancer by spending too much time in the sun.

The confusion comes in part because there are different types of sunlight responsible for skin damage -- mainly UVA and UVB. Because UVB is what causes sunburn and has a well-established link with skin cancer, it is generally considered more harmful. But scientists now believe UVA causes much of the premature aging of the skin and, more critically, much of the skin's genetic damage, which may also lead to skin cancer. UVA rays can even penetrate windows to reach people indoors.

So far, there's no way to measure the UVA-screening ability of a given product, and scientists don't know how much UVA contributes to the alarming rise in skin cancer. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the death rate from melanoma in the United States has climbed about 4 percent a year since 1973.

Though researchers have discussed a rating system for UVA, so far there has been no action on the matter. And that's only part of the problem.

Some experts say that claims for UVB protection could be inflated, too. In 1999, under orders from Congress, the federal Food and Drug Administration drafted a slate of regulations on sunscreen manufacturers but never formally adopted them. Critics say the agency bowed to pressure from the sunscreen lobby.

Representatives of the FDA did not respond to requests for an interview on the subject.

The proposed rules would have prohibited "unsupported, absolute, and/or misleading and confusing terms such as 'sunblock,' 'waterproof,' 'all-day protection' and 'visible and/or infrared light protection.' "

Yet doctors agree that those terms -- still widely employed in sunscreen advertising -- are misleading at best.

No product, experts say, is truly waterproof, sweat-proof or capable of lasting all day.

"If you read the fine print," says Dr. John Meisenheimer, chief of dermatology for Orlando Regional Healthcare System, "it does say that you have to reapply them."

Meisenheimer, a competitive swimmer and occasional surfer, says that each time you dive in the water or perspire, you'll need to put on more sunscreen afterward -- at least every 60 to 80 minutes. But he still recommends the waterproof variety.

"They tend to stay on a little bit better when you sweat," he says. "And down here in Florida, if you're outside doing anything, you're going to sweat."

He also advises his patients to use products that offer an SPF rating of 30 or higher as well as those that claim broad-spectrum protection, even if there's no way to measure how much. After all, the doctor notes, some UVA protection is better than none.

Ingredients that protect against UVA radiation include avobenzone (better known under the trade name Parsol 1789), which quickly degrades in sunlight, and Mexoryl, which is longer-lasting. The latter has yet to be approved by the FDA, though it has been widely used in Canada and Europe for years.

The bottom line, dermatologists say, is that the more you can stay in the shade, cover up or liberally apply a good-but-imperfect sunscreen, the better off you'll be.

"We're not going to tell people to hide in a cave and only come out at night," Spencer says. "It's not realistic."

Meisenheimer agrees. "I realize I'm not going to get patients who are lily-white down here in Orlando," he says. "So I tell them, 'Listen, use your sunscreens, protect yourself as much as you can -- and then just enjoy being in Florida.' "

Kate Santich can be reached at 407-420-5503 or ksantich@orlandosentinel.com.

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