Did SPF Sunscreens Backfire and Let In Cancer-Causing UVA Rays?

less to say, hMy Uncle Leo was a dairy farmer during the early 20^th century. He always wore a hat, long sleeves and overalls when working outside. Needless to say, he spent a lot of time outdoors, mending fences, baling hay and taking care of cows. However, he never got skin cancer even though there were no effective sunscreens during his working life. Over the last several decades, we have seen the development of highly effective sunscreens, some with Skin Protection Factors (SPFs) as high as 100. How come skin cancer has been on the rise for decades? Did early SPF sunscreens backfire and give us a false sense of safety?

The Time Before SPF Sunscreens:

When I was kid there were no SPF sunscreens. We learned fast that if you spent much time out in the sun playing or swimming, you would develop a bad burn. It hurt like hades! And then the burned skin would all peel off. What a mess!

We learned fast that too much sun in the middle of the day was a big mistake. So we either covered up or stayed in the shade between 10 and 2.

In the 1950s there were ads for Coppertone. This suntan lotion was advertised to offer the:

“Best-looking tan under the sun!”

And a

“Faster, deeper tan”

An iconic ad often showed a little girl with blond pig tails having her swim trunks pulled down by a puppy dog. Her butt was white, while the rest of her body was tanned. Here is a link to a Facebook page showing this image. There were billboards across the US also featuring this ad.

The early Coppertone suntan lotion was reported to contain a petroleum-based ingredient along with cocoa butter and coconut oil. None of those compounds protected people from a sunburn, though. Whether they actually promoted a “safe” tan is up for grabs.

SPF Sunscreens Arrive in the 1960s:

A Swiss chemist, Franz Greiter, is credited with developing the concept of the “sun protection factor” or SPF. His original Glacier cream had an SPF of 2. Other products began appearing during the 1960s and 1970s. The Food and Drug Administration officially got into the sunscreen approval game in 1978 (JAMA Dermatology, Dec. 1, 2015).

The first sunscreen ingredient was avobenzone (AVB), also known as Parsol 1789. It was considered an ultraviolet filter. The FDA allowed it on the market in 1988. Unfortunately, it degrades when exposed to the sun’s rays and actually produces free radical compounds. After an hour of sunlight, effectiveness drops dramatically. It is also absorbed through the skin and into the blood stream.

SPF Sunscreens Are Absorbed Into the Body:

The Food and Drug Administration finally got around to testing the absorption of sunscreen chemicals, but it took the agency decades to consider this an important issue. A landmark study was published in JAMA on May 6, 2019. All four tested sunscreens–avobenzone, oxybenzone, octocrylene and ecamsule–were absorbed into the body. You can learn more about this research at this link.

Sunscreen Gets Under Your Skin | Is It Safe?

Another study of common sunscreen ingredients was published in JAMA (Jan. 2020). It analyzed 6 ingredients, including avobenzone. The results again revealed that common ingredients in sunscreens are absorbed quickly absorbed into the body. More details at this link.

The Paradox of SPF Sunscreens:

When SPF sunscreens were introduced to Americans in the 1970s and 1980s, the dermatological community was enthusiastic. The assumption was made that preventing a sunburn would protect the skin from premature aging, wrinkling and skin cancer. Everyone was encouraged to slop on the sunscreen!

In those years, baby boomers were teenagers and young adults. Tanning was considered cool. But once the message started getting out that sunburns were bad for the skin, people began embracing sunscreens. They discovered that if they applied a decent amount of a fairly high SPF sunscreen, they could spend many hours in the sun without burning.

Because the early sunscreens were so effective at preventing burning, they may have given people a false sense of safety. The assumption was: no burn = no damage!

Was that a gigantic mistake? There is the possibility those early sunscreens provided a false sense of security. They primarily blocked UVB rays. Such ultraviolet B radiation is of a shorter wavelength. It is what tends to cause a sunburn. Sunscreen = no sunburn!

But those early sunscreens did not do such a good job against longer wavelength UVA rays. It is this ultraviolet A radiation that penetrates deeper into the skin to cause oxidative stress, DNA damage (mutations) and immune system suppression. None of those things are good and could increase the risk for skin cancers.

The Epidemic of Skin Cancer Has Continued to Rise!

Let’s start with the basics. Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States! Here are some scary stats from the American Academy of Dermatology:

• “Current estimates are that one in five Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime.
• “It is estimated that approximately 9,500 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with skin cancer every day.
• “It is estimated that the overall incidence of BCC [basal cell carcinoma] increased by 145% between 1976-1984 and 2000-2010, and the overall incidence of SCC [squamous cell carcinoma] increased 263% over that same period.
• “More than 1 million Americans are living with melanoma.
• “It is estimated that 212,200 new cases of melanoma, 107,240 noninvasive (in situ) and 104,960 invasive, will be diagnosed in the U.S. in 2025.
• “Melanoma rates in the United States have been rising rapidly over the past 30 years — doubling from 1982 to 2011 — but trends within the past decade vary by age. There has been a 31.5% increase between 2011 and 2019.”

Did SPF Sunscreens Fuel a Skin Cancer Surge?

We cannot prove that the skin cancer epidemic baby boomers are experiencing is a result of inadequate sunscreen protection. UVB blockers certainly allowed people to spend way more time in the sun than previous generations.

We recently had an opportunity to talk with a board-certified dermatologist about these complex issues on our nationally syndicated public radio show and podcast. We talked about this very controversy and discussed modern sunscreens with zinc oxide. They block both UVA and UVB radiation. We also talked about hats and UPF clothes that block ultraviolet radiation. Here is a preview:

Some of us remember when lifeguards used to coat their noses with a thick layer of zinc cream. They looked funny, but it protected them from a bad burn. Today, both zinc and titanium are created in such a way as to blend into the skin. This podcast will allow you to get the latest update on bites, fungal infections, oral minoxidil for hair growth and so much more.

A Favor, Please:

If you found this article helpful, please pass it along to friends and family. There is still a lot of sunlight before the days get short again. Find out which sunscreens are desirable. Our guest, Dr. Chris Adigun, also shares her expertise about lots of common skin problems. If you have found this sort of information helpful, please encourage acquaintances to sign up for our free newsletter. Where else can they learn about the possible paradox of SPF sunscreens?