Sun, Skin And Summer: Navigating Sunscreen Choices For Safer Days Outdoors

By Will Atwater

From nan EnoFest successful Durham to Christmas successful July successful Ashe County, from Topsail Beach to Grandfather Mountain, North Carolinians are gearing up for active, sun-drenched days. But arsenic shorts-and-T-shirt upwind heats up, experts warn: Don’t hide to use sunscreen.

The Environmental Working Group, which has published its yearly Sunscreen Guide since   2007, precocious released its 19th edition. In this update, nan statement recovered that of 2,204 products tested, only 498 — astir 23 percent — met its criteria.

While nan group’s findings whitethorn lead immoderate to mobility nan worth of those bottles of sunblock collecting successful their bath drawers and cabinets, David Andrews, EWG’s acting main subject officer, said, “Wearing immoderate sunscreen is overmuch much important and offers amended sun protection for your tegument than not applying anything.”

Six cardinal adults are treated for nonmelanoma tegument cancers each year, Andrews estimated. Those cases see basal compartment and squamous compartment carcinomas, 2 of nan astir communal forms, according to nan Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Dermatologists and researchers work together that — sloppy of tegument complexion — regular sunscreen usage benefits everyone. 

Natural sunblock

In nan United States, non-Hispanic achromatic group are much susceptible than different group groups to processing sun-related tegument cancer.

For example, non-Hispanic achromatic group person astir a 3 percent life chance of processing melanoma, an invasive tegument cancer. If detected early, melanoma is highly treatable, according to nan American Academy of Dermatology. However, near untreated, it tin dispersed to nan lymph nodes and soul organs, which tin beryllium fatal.

Melanoma is simply a illness successful which malignant (cancer) cells shape successful nan tegument cells called melanocytes (cells that colour nan skin). Melanocytes are recovered passim nan little portion of nan epidermis. They make melanin, nan pigment that gives tegument its earthy color. Credit: National Cancer Institute

By comparison, nan life consequence of melanoma is astir 0.5 percent for Hispanics and 0.1 percent for Black Americans. 

“The measurement that melanin works, and why it’s protective, is that it fundamentally sits complete a cell’s nucleus,” said Dr. Puneet Jolly, a professor of dermatology astatine nan University of North Carolina School of Medicine. “The nucleus is wherever your DNA lives, and it’s erstwhile your DNA gets damaged that you get tegument cancer.”

Jolly continued, “[Having] acheronian tegument [is] for illustration having a thick, really bully umbrella sitting connected apical of nan nucleus, versus personification who is fair-skinned having a thinner umbrella, aliases an umbrella that is not opaque, wherever sunlight tin get through. That’s nan measurement melanin, a pigment, useful and why group who person much pigment person a overmuch little consequence of sun-related tegument cancer.”

Dermatologists and researchers work together that — sloppy of tegument complexion — regular sunscreen usage benefits everyone. Credit: Will Atwater / NC Health News

Although group pinch darker tegument — including Black Americans and different group of colour — person much earthy protection against nan sun’s ultraviolet rays owed to higher levels of melanin, information show they person a higher consequence than achromatic Americans of really dying from melanoma erstwhile they create it. Between 2011 and 2019, nan five-year endurance complaint for Black group pinch melanoma was 66 percent, compared pinch 90 percent for achromatic people, according to a 2019 CDC report.

Experts opportunity location is simply a scope of factors down this disparity, including delayed discovery of suspicious spots that whitethorn beryllium harder to admit connected darker skin, constricted aliases infrequent visits to a dermatologist and extended vulnerability to ultraviolet radiation without accordant sunscreen use.

From that CDC report, nan highest number of Black group processing tegument crab during that clip play were successful nan South, though they didn’t person nan highest rate. This reflects nan comparatively ample Black organization successful nan South, compared pinch different regions.

An ounce of prevention

Scientists astatine EWG stress that not each sunscreens are created equal.

Sunscreens travel successful various forms — including lotions, sprays, sticks, gels, powders and foams — but EWG researchers recovered that 4 retired of 5 products they tested provided insufficient protection. Some could moreover beryllium harmful, pinch nan threat from chemicals successful nan merchandise outweighing nan benefits of protecting one’s skin.

Dermatologists urge choosing broad-spectrum sunscreens, which protect against some UVB and UVA rays. Broad-spectrum products are specifically formulated to artifact aliases sorb a wider scope of ultraviolet radiation and supply a much broad defense. Credit: Jamie Baxley / NC Health News

With thousands of sunscreen products connected nan market, making a wise prime tin consciousness overwhelming for consumers. EWG’s yearly sunscreen guideline is meant to make nan purchasing process little daunting, Andrews said.

“Our extremity is to simplify this abstraction for people,” Andrews said. “We want group to spell extracurricular and person nosy successful nan sun, but besides recognize that sunscreen is an important instrumentality — 1 that helps trim overexposure and imaginable semipermanent wellness harms.

Know your numbers and letter

SPF, aliases sun protection factor, measures really good a sunscreen merchandise protects tegument from burning erstwhile exposed to nan sun. To find a product’s SPF, researchers use a modular magnitude of sunscreen to aggregate spots connected a volunteer’s back, past expose those areas to high-intensity ultraviolet B lamp ray — nan information of sunlight that causes sunburn and contributes to tegument cancer. 

They past observe really agelong it takes to nutrient mild redness connected protected tegument compared pinch unprotected skin. The ratio of these exposures determines nan SPF value.

While SPF reflects protection against UVB rays, it does not show nan afloat story. Ultraviolet A rays penetrate deeper into nan tegument and origin invisible harm specified arsenic premature aging and DNA changes, and they lend to tegument crab risk. 

Andrews noted that “tanning beds were designed to supply UVA vulnerability to beforehand tanning, and usage of tanning beds is associated pinch accrued melanoma rates successful young women successful particular.”

Dermatologists urge choosing broad-spectrum sunscreens pinch an SPF betwixt 30 and 50, which protect against some UVB and UVA rays. Broad-spectrum products are specifically formulated to artifact aliases sorb a wider scope of ultraviolet radiation and supply a much broad defense.

With thousands of sunscreen products connected nan market, making a wise prime tin consciousness overwhelming for consumers. The Environmental Working Group’s yearly Sunscreen Guide is meant to make nan purchasing process little daunting, nan statement says. Credit: Rachel Crumpler / NC Health News

“Broad-spectrum products supply protection from UVA rays that are associated pinch tegument cancer, free extremist procreation and immune harm,” Andrews said successful a 2021 news release.

Sun protective clothing

If possible, Jolly recommends wearing clothing specifically designed to shield nan tegument from nan sun’s ultraviolet rays, noting it tin connection advantages complete sunscreen. Such garments are rated utilizing an ultraviolet protection factor, aliases UPF, scale, which measures really efficaciously they artifact UV radiation. Jolly favors nan clothing action because, he said, “you don’t person to interest astir reapplying sunscreen [and] you don’t person to interest about, ‘Did I put nan correct magnitude on?’”

He explained that a instrumentality called a spectrophotometer measures really overmuch ray is transmitted done a garment. “In general, erstwhile they springiness you a UPF scale, thing complete 25 is very, very good. That intends it’s blocking astir 96 percent of nan sun’s rays,” he said.

Jolly besides noted that sun-protective garments person improved complete clip and, for illustration mineral sunscreens, galore now incorporated zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. As for whether costs mightiness beryllium a barrier, he said 1 request not acquisition respective garments, for instance, because nan worldly is durable. 

“When you lavation them, nan measurement nan cloth is woven, it becomes tighter, truthful it starts to really activity moreover better,” Andrews said.

He recommended investing successful “a mates of high-quality [shirts] that don’t break nan bank. The exertion is improving, truthful it’s going to get amended and little costly complete time.”

Andrews agrees that clothing offers azygous protection from nan sun — moreover non UPF  garments.

“In astir situations, immoderate clothing will supply adequate, aliases astatine nan very least, important protection that’s wholly uniform, wholly balanced.” He besides recommends utilizing shadiness specified arsenic umbrellas, tents aliases North Carolina’s ain Shibumi Shades “as portion of nan wide strategy to trim your probability of being overexposed.”

Apply and reapply

Experts work together it’s not uncommon to find bottles of partially utilized sunscreen from erstwhile years successful American households. According to Andrews, astir sunscreens (unless different noted) “should stay effective for 3 years.” However, he emphasized, “you should apt beryllium utilizing much sunscreen erstwhile you use it.”

Jolly agreed that nan magnitude is critical. “I get this mobility each nan time: ‘What SPF sunscreen should I buy?’ I show them thing complete 30, I’m happy with. But what’s much important is to put connected nan correct magnitude — astir a teaspoon, past reapply,” he said.

Experts mostly urge applying astir an ounce of sunscreen each 2 hours while you’re outdoors. However, depending connected assemblage size, it whitethorn return much to screen exposed areas, according to nan American Academy of Dermatology.

Andrews summed it up: “Use up nan sunscreen and don’t transportation it complete for excessively galore years.”

For much accusation astir sunscreen — including which brands earned nan highest marks — cheque retired nan Environmental Working Group’s 2025 Guide to Sunscreens: https://www.ewg.org/sunscreen/.

Republish our articles for free, online aliases successful print, nether a Creative Commons license.