I like to keep it simple and stick with zinc and titanium formulations that give good UVB and UVA coverage. Helioplex and mexoryl are two words to look for when shopping for good UVA protection.
Many of the strong UVA filters are not stable by themselves and have to be mixed with other chemicals that can raise the price of the sunscreen substantially. Just like in the research field, UVA is the problem child here as well. It is amazing that the FDA and sunscreen industry have chosen to quantify only one of the two cancer causing forms of sunlight. It is important.) Thus an SPF of 100 or even 10,000 offers zero protection from UVA.
#Jibber jabber fun care skin
UVA’s role is well established in causing other types of skin cancer, wrinkles, sun spots, and even suppressing the immune system in the skin. While nobody believes UVA is “safe” radiation (except the tanning industry), it evidently does not tinker with your DNA like UVB is fond of doing. Thus, I was taught dogmatically in medical school that UVA caused melanoma based upon this animal model. Just this year, that belief was overturned by the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. A 1993 study concluded that UVA was responsible for melanoma development in a form of fish called swordtails. UVA, while known to cause wrinkles and premature aging, confounded researchers and still has not given up all of its secrets.Īs bizarre as it sounds, some of the first work done with UVA and melanoma was in fish. Wonderful molecular mechanisms of how UVB induced DNA damage and consequently skin cancers have been elucidated for the last few decades. UVB is associated more with inducing sunburn and the whole concept of SPF is based upon blocking UVB only.
Both UVA and UVB also induce skin cancers and DNA damage and pass right through the atmosphere. The ozone layer over North America still filters out most of the UVC luckily, as it is the most carcinogenic of the three. There are three forms of ultraviolet light from the sun: UVA, UVB, and UVC. The new guidelines, while far from perfect, are a welcomed step in the right direction. Technology, science, and manufacturing processes have outpaced our government’s ability to regulate sunscreens effectively. Since the days of Red Vet Pet, the sunscreen industry has blossomed into a billion dollar industry. The marketing gurus at Coppertone acquired the formula, and by renaming it, had their day in the sun. Getting that "Coppertone Tan" can lead to serious melanoma risks. Based off the name alone, it’s not hard to understand why so many veterans developed skin cancer later in life. It was a red sticky substance called “Red Vet Pet”, or red veterinary petrolatum. The first sunscreen was developed for the troops in the South Pacific during WWII. Hopefully the simplification of these terms will dispel some of the confusion-at least a little. After a lot of arm wrestling back and forth, the FDA finalized its new sunscreen guidelines for consumers. Is an SPF of 100 better than 50? What do the terms waterproof, water resistant, and broad spectrum really mean? If you are confused you are not alone.
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