More than a million Americans each year are afflicted with basal or squamous cell carcinomas — the most common skin cancers that are typically non-fatal. According to a local physician, spending too many hours in the sun this summer could be life threatening, but there is hope according to a new study released by the Skin Cancer Foundation that finds daily sun protection may reduce the number of pre-cancers in the skin. This study comes at a time when the public is flooded by conflicting information surrounding the use of sunscreen.
Manufacturers now use the terms interchangeably. Products that contain opaque substances, such as zinc oxide, were formally called sunblocks.
Many people think slathering on the highest-number sunscreen at the beach or pool will spare you skin cancer and premature wrinkles, but probably not, if you’re in the sun a lot. No one really likes using sunscreen at all, since it’s and expensive.
Most sunscreens help prevent sunburn, but even the best products on the market “don’t absolutely protect you from skin cancer,” says Dr. Allan Oseroff, chairman of the Department of Dermatology at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, N.Y.
He worries that sunscreens give people a false sense of security. “Because they allow you to spend more time in the sun without getting burned, you could wind up with more sun exposure than you would without it.”
Two types of sunlight are able to penetrate the ozone layer and can cause sunburn, cancer and other damage:
• UVA: “Tanning rays” penetrate deeply into the skin and are more likely to cause wrinkles, premature aging, sun spots, rashes and cancer.
• UVB: “Burning rays” are thought to be the most common causes of sunburn and skin cancers. These rays are more intense in summer months.
Most sunscreens on the market protect against both UVA and UVB light, even though the SPF level only refers to the UVB protection. To be sure your sunscreen does both, look for the ingredients avobenzone, oxybenzone or mexoryl. You can read Sunscreen For Skin Protection Unknown Fact.
Sunscreens generally do a good job filtering out the ultraviolet rays that cause sunburn — UVB rays. But with sunburn protection, many people get a false sense of security that keeps them under the harsh sun much longer. That adds to the risk of eventual skin cancer — both deadly melanoma and the more common and less-threatening basal and squamous cell cancers.
The Skin Cancer Foundation awards its Seal of Recommendation to products that “aid in the prevention of sun-induced damage to the skin.” For a list of the sunscreens, makeups, clothing and other products that have met its criteria, you can go to www.skincancer.org.
Miami-based Pure Pharmaceuticals, LLC, is also selling a pill that it says was “specifically designed for sun protection.” The “SunPill,” which costs about $1 a pill, contains a variety of vitamins and antioxidants that the company says helps the body “defend itself against the sun.” The company claims the SunPill “has been clinically proven to work,” yet it says “for maximum protection,” you still need to use a sunscreen. But Pure Pharmaceuticals says its Sunpill won’t replace sunscreen.
Dr. Oseroff pulls no punches when asked about this product. “You can’t get enough antioxidants to the skin, where the oxidation is taking place, by taking a pill,” he says. “These sun pills are bogus.”
We collect some simple tips here for your skin protection :
• Use a sunscreen of at least 15 SPF, even on cloudy days.
• Apply sunscreen to clean, dry skin 30 minutes before going outdoors.
• Reapply sunscreen at least every two hours or after swimming or perspiring.
• Avoid being in the strongest sunlight, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
• Buy new sunscreen every year.
Or maybe you could try UV Meter on Bikini ![]()

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