On a Saturday morning, sophomore Nora Cary browsed the aisles at Market of Choice in search of a sunscreen to protect her from the already beaming sun.
“I’m going to the lake later, and I needed to get some sunscreen. We’re going to be out there a few hours,” Cary said.
Because outdoor activities are popular during the summer months, consumers add sun protection to their grocery lists. But how can shoppers know what to buy? With labels such as waterproof, sweat proof, SPF., UVA and UVB, consumers can be misled and misinformed by the different marketing strategies used to sell the products.
“I really don’t know that much about sunscreen,” Cary said. “I’ve just been taught that the higher the SPF number, the safer you are from the sun.”
SPF, or Sun Protection Factor, is the measured effectiveness of the sunscreen in protection of UVB rays. However, this does not tell consumers anything about protection from UVA rays. The UV stands for ultraviolet, and the letter behind identifies the frequency of the ray.
Measuring UVA protection is hard, because the damage made by UVA rays cannot be measured. UVB rays cause the physical production of sunburn, while UVA rays penetrate more deeply, creating long-term damage.
According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, the difference between sunblock and sunscreen is that sunscreen chemically absorbs the UVB rays while sunblock actually deflects them.
The Food and Drug Administration has yet to regulate the effectiveness that sunscreens have against UVA. Currently there is a debate surrounding UVA labeling on sunscreen labels, regulations are planned so consumers can have more information on the products they purchase.
University chemistry professor Julie Haack advocates more informed decisions as far as protection from the sun goes.
“The idea here is knowledge will change behavior. Knowing that UVA rays are damaging my skin long-term will make me think about that every time I plan activities outside,” Haack said. “Ideally if we all took action to reduce skin exposure to the sun by 20 percent, then skin cancer will decrease 20 percent.”
As far as sunscreens go, being aware of the facts can help consumers make an educated decision. Phrases such as “blocks all harmful rays” and “provides all day protection” are simply not true.
Dermatologist Gregory Richterich agrees one cannot trust what is written on labels.
“No sunscreen is waterproof, though some are water resistant,” says Richterich. “Reapplying sunscreen is also advised because the SPF efficiency changes with the harshness of the sun.”
There are two kinds of ingredients in sunscreens that help protect people against both UVA and UVB rays: organic and inorganic. Both types of ingredients aid in sun protection, but inorganic ingredients, such as zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are more efficient. These ingredients are better at absorbing the wavelength of the harmful UVB and UVA rays.
Richterich recommends avoiding long sun exposure during mid-day hours and wearing hats and protective clothing, as well as lip balm.
“When it comes to the sun, use good judgment,” Richerich said. “Don’t be scared, but respect it and what it can do.”