Just when we’ve got the message about covering up in the sun, researchers are saying that a little exposure to its rays can be good for our health
UNTIL RECENTLY the message about exposure to sunlight was so simple the Australians were able to condense it into three words: slip, slop, slap.Slip on a T-shirt, slop on the sunscreen and slap on a hat.
While the medical advice is unambiguous about the dangers of excessive exposure to the sun, a subtle shift may be coming down the tracks, with evidence mounting that overly zealous avoidance of the sun’s rays could be leading to a vitamin D deficiency in some people, which may be linked to rickets, dementia and prostate cancer.
Cancer Research UK, together with the British Heart Foundation, the Multiple Sclerosis Society, Diabetes UK and the National Osteoporosis Society, is working on a position paper on sunshine and vitamin D; early drafts suggest the group will go some way towards relaxing its sunbathing advice to the public. While advice on restricting sunbathing between 11am and 3pm will remain in place, the research body is to recommend people use less-strong suncreams outside of those hours.
A briefing paper that was leaked to the media earlier this week said: “Cancer Research UK’s SunSmart campaign encourages people to enjoy the sun safely and avoid exposures that lead to sunburn. However, for most people, sunlight is also the most important source of vitamin D, which is essential for good bone health.” It says that the “time required to make sufficient vitamin D is typically short and less than the time needed for skin to redden and burn. Regularly going outside for a matter of minutes around the middle of the day without sunscreen should be enough.”
Responding to the leaked draft document, a spokeswoman for the charity said it was important to ensure that skin-cancer prevention messages reflected up-to-date scientific evidence, and were balanced with the need to make enough vitamin D. She insisted that the report, when published, will not advise people to go out in the sun in the middle of the day without sunscreen. “This is because, for some people – those most likely to be at risk of skin cancer – a few minutes in the middle of the day is enough for them to burn and cause serious and lasting skin damage.”
Rosemary Scott, health promotion officer with the Irish Cancer Society, says its core message about sun safety has not changed, but she adds that the society will continue to monitor all related research; if it feels its guidelines need to be changed, they will be.
“People still need to protect themselves between 11am and 3pm,” she says. “No sunscreen gives 100 per cent protection, and people generally do not apply it correctly.” She says that 20 minutes’ “incidental exposure” of the back of the hands to sunlight should provide enough vitamin D. She expresses concern that confusion about the possibility of advice shifting may lead people to expose themselves to too many harmful rays. “There is a risk that people will be confused following recent reports, but that is often the way given the manner in which some stories are reported in the media.”
Dr Clare Cushen, who works in the Beacon Hospital’s dermatology unit, says that while there appears to be more discussion of the problems associated with vitamin D deficiency, people still need to take care in the sun. She says the best advice is for people to wear sunscreen with an SPF rating of 30 and that 20 minutes’ exposure to the sun outside of the hours of 11am and 5pm should be sufficient.
She also stresses the need for people to look beyond SPF ratings when they are choosing a sunblock. The sun-protection factor refers to how much protection against UVB radiation – the burning element of the sun – a cream offers. Equally harmful, although not as immediately obvious, is UVA radiation. Generally speaking, a star rating is used to indicate UVA rates: one-star cream offers “minimum” protection while five-star cream provides “ultra” cover.
