Some suncreams offer protection from UVA rays, some from UVB, some from both but are consumers being left confused by labels, Nichole Matthews reports
Last year, one of Ireland's leading suncreams for adults and children was removed from the shelves of pharmacy chain Unicare. They removed several other brands too when it was discovered that these products were not providing protection against UVA rays.
As the weather starts to heat up, most of us nowadays would not go outside to sunbathe without putting some form of factor on. But how well are you covered?
There are two types of sun rays to protect against: UVA and UVB. UVB rays cause sunburn while UVA are the cancer-causing rays that are potentially more dangerous.
Elaine Glynn, health promotion manager of the Irish Cancer Society, explains: "While many creams claim to protect against UVA and UVB rays, a lot do not disclose the level of UVA protection."
A major concern is that while UVB suncreams prevent sunburn, they allow people to spend more time in the sun which increases their exposure to UVA rays ultimately increasing their risk of skin cancer.
Sun protection factor (SPF) applies only to protection from UVB rays and will prevent burning but does not protect from UVA rays. There is no standard measure for UVA rays and, therefore, while many suncreams claim to have UVA protection, it may be a minimal level. High UVB protection or SPF does not necessarily mean high UVA protection.
In response to this confusing labelling, the European Commission is conducting research and aims to establish guidelines which will standardise suncream labels which will be introduced into Ireland in 2007. This will bring us in line with the US and Australia which already have such guidelines.
Consultant dermatologist in the Mater Hospital, Dublin, Dr Bríd O'Donnell, advises consumers to look for the words "total block" on the label as this means that both UVA and UVB rays are protected against.
"Consumers must exercise caution, as there is no such thing as 100 per cent block which will protect them from 100 per cent rays. However, 'total block' will protect from both UVA and UVB rays and, taken with other precautions such as re-applying frequently and not spending too much time in the sun, will protect them most effectively," says Dr O'Donnell.
Elaine Glynn says there are two ways consumers can check the level of protection they are getting from a suncream. "On labels consumers can look for either the star system - the lower the star rating, the less UVA protection, so we would recommend at least four or five star. The other measure is the low to ultra high rating on labels where high to ultra high should be used," says Glynn.
More than 30 per cent of all cancer diagnoses in Ireland every year are skin cancer related.
Dr O'Donnell says: "Irish people predominantly have type 1 skin which is fair skin that burns easily. On a scale of one to five, Irish people have the most vulnerable skin and exceed their quota in the sun much quicker than those with darker skin. As soon as freckles are produced, the sun quota has been exceeded and your skin has been damaged," says Dr O'Donnell.
Suncreams work in two ways: The first is absorbent chemicals which change UVA and UVB rays into heat and thus deflect them from the body. Such chemicals found in suncreams are octyl methoxycinnamate for UVB rays and butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane for UVA rays.
The second are reflector minerals, or physical blocks, such as zinc oxide and titanium oxide which sit on the skin and disperse sunlight over the body. These reflectors are particularly beneficial for children. Many brands contain both absorbent chemicals and reflector minerals. However, many other brands contain only reflector minerals which means that you are still exposed to UVA rays.
The major concerns about the misuse of suncream is that the majority of people exposing themselves to the sun don't use enough of it - they use only 20-50 per cent of the required amount. It is recommended to apply suncream only to the areas you cannot cover and cover the rest.
Secondly, people use suncream to stay longer in the sun and thus are doing themselves more damage which is irreversible. Finally, no suncream should ever be applied only once daily and has to be reapplied in order to be effective.
Dr O'Donnell recommends that adults should always use SPF 20+ and children SPF 40+. It is vital for children especially to wear an effective suncream as the majority of sun damage in one's life occurs before 18 years of age and is irreversible.
- The Irish Cancer Society's Sunsmart campaign was launched last week. For more information, contact the society directly on (01) 2310500 or visit its website at www.cancer.ie.