SPF 2
The executives at corporations that manufacture sunscreen products might have experienced an unpleasant burning feeling when a study released last month revealed that sunscreen may not offer protection from the type of sun damage that could cause skin cancer. Worse than that: the study also suggests that sunscreen use may actually do more harm than good.
This is a new twist on two points we’ve been telling you for some time here at HSI: 1) Sunscreen lotion isn’t the best way to protect your skin, and 2) For most people, correct nutrition and sensible exposure time may provide all the sun protection you need.
Meanwhile, millions of sun lovers and people who live in or near tropical latitudes cover themselves head to toe in sunscreen and spend hours in the sun, believing they’re protected. They may be protecting themselves from a bad burn, but there are other things going on below the surface of the skin that could create more serious problems in later years.
Poor defense
Researchers at the UK’s Restoration of Appearance and Function Trust (RAFT) acquired skin samples from consenting patients undergoing surgery (such as breast reduction). In separate tests, three commercial sunscreens with high sun protection factors (SPF) of 20 or more were applied to the skin samples. The samples were then exposed to ultraviolet A (UVA) light at intensities comparable to that of sunlight.
Using electron spin resonance spectroscopy (which determines natural radiation concentrations), the researchers found that free radical damage beneath the surface of the skin was reduced by approximately 50 percent in skin samples treated with sunscreen, compared to unprotected skin. And while that may seem at first to be effective, researchers determined that the actual “free-radical protection factor” was only 2.
In other words, the sun protection factor of 20+ held true only with ultraviolet B (UVB) rays – the rays that cause sunburn. But protection from the free-radical damage that corrupts DNA and may prompt skin cancer was judged to be insufficient.
The authors of the study fear that because sunscreen use helps prevent burning, people feel safe spending many extra hours in the sun. Meanwhile, those additional hours of exposure may add up to cumulative DNA damage and skin cancer because a considerable amount of UVA rays are still getting through.
What your skin wants
Before we go any further, it’s important to note that the sun is not your enemy. On the contrary, sunlight exposure prompts your body to manufacture vitamin D. Those who live in extreme northern and southern latitudes are often vitamin D deficient because their exposure to sunlight is too low. As we’ve seen with so many other health issues, the key is balance. The right amount of sun exposure is: not too much, and not too little.
So don’t listen to those who tell you to hide from the sun. Sunlight is not just good for us, it’s essential. But excessive exposure leads to sunburn, which is obviously not good for the skin. Nevertheless, sunburns do serve a purpose. As Jonathan V. Wright, M.D., has pointed out, a sunburn is nature’s way of telling us that we’re getting too much sun. It’s sort of like a pop-up thermometer on a turkey. When you start turning red, you’re done – your body has had enough sunlight exposure.
But what about those people who have to spend hours in the sun; lifeguards, house builders, traffic policemen, etc.? Writing in his Nutrition & Healing newsletter last year (June 2002), Dr. Wright discussed what he calls the “DNA Repair Group” – the foods and supplements that everyone (and especially those who get a lot of sun exposure) should be consuming in abundance.
Vitamins C and E are very important to relieving stress to the skin. But according to Dr. Wright, folic acid deficiency is “a major contributor to skin cancer risk.” He says, “Folic acid is destroyed rapidly by heat, cold, and exposure to light, including sunlight. So it’s sunlight’s destructive effect on folic acid in the skin, not the actual sun exposure itself, that accounts for a significant part of the skin cancer problem. Folic acid (along with vitamin B12 and zinc) is absolutely key to DNA reproduction and repair.”
The best dietary sources of folic acid include spinach and other dark green vegetables, brewers yeast, lima beans, cantaloupe, watermelon, wheat germ, and liver from organically raised animals. In addition, Dr. Wright suggests supplementing with 1,000 mcg of folic acid per day, and more if you spend a good amount of time in the sun or have a family history of skin cancer.
Octyl methoxycinnamate!
I have one final note on sunscreen. In Monday’s e-Alert “Always at Your Side,” I told you how hard the liver works to clean the body of toxins and foreign chemicals. The next time you spread on some sunscreen, check the ingredient list of nearly unpronounceable chemicals. Every chemical absorbed by your skin – whether from sunscreen, bug spray, cosmetics, or airborne pollutants – puts an unnecessary stress on the liver.
As frost begins to show on mornings here in Baltimore, this may seem like an odd time to talk about sun exposure. But many HSI members live in areas that are warm year-round. And for those of us in northern regions, we still get – and need – sunlight all year. So be good to your skin. Go easy on the chemicals. And if you spend a lot of time in the sun, add some folic acid to your supplement regimen.
To Your Good Health,
Jenny Thompson
Health Sciences Institute
Sources:
“Sunscreens Inadequately Protect Against Ultraviolet-A-Induced Free Radicals in Skin: Implications for Skin Aging and Melanoma?” Journal of Investigative Dermatology, Vol. 121, 862-868 (2003), jidonline.org
“Dark Side of the Sun” Restoration of Appearance and Function Trust (RAFT) Press Release, 9/23/03, raft.ac.uk
“Sunscreen may not Prevent Cancer” Reuters, 9/29/03, msnbc.com
“Sun Lotions ‘Are not Effective'” BBC News, 9/29/03, news.bbc.co.uk
