Study reveals partial protection from Sunscreens

With the advent of grilling summers, researches and doctors, including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have started issuing suggestions for the general public against the dangers of UV rays and have recommended people not to get out of house without applying sunscreen.

The FDA is examining the sunscreens out on the shelves and ensuring that these sun protection covers not only rate these products for the level of protection they provide from the Ultraviolet B (UVB) rays that cause sunburns but also from the Ultraviolet A (UVA) rays which are linked to skin cancer (melanoma), wrinkles and skin aging.

The proposed rules are being reviewed and new guidelines shall be issued by FDA within a week after which a public opinion will be asked for, as told by the FDA policy director Jeff Shuren to the Associated Press.

In a study conducted by Dr. Nancy Thomas at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo, 214 melanoma patients from North Carolina were studied for the interaction of their genes and UV exposure. The fellow researchers tracked, with the help of satellites, the average UV radiation- encompassing both UVA and UVB rays - in the different towns and states where those patients had lived at birth, age 10, 20 and so on.

"Sunscreen is imperfect," warns Dr. Nancy Thomas, a dermatologist at the University of North Carolina who led the UV research. "Schedule activities when UV irradiation is not quite so high."

According to skincancer.org, a survey to find out the diversity among users and non-users of sunscreen everyday revealed that 40% people never use it and only 11% use a SPF 15 or higher. Also, 42% people suffer from sunburns every year and a person suffering from five or more sunburns has high risk of striking melanoma.

The study concluded that patients suffering from melanoma, a deadliest of all skin cancers, with melanoma mutations, called BRAF mutations, had the highest UV exposure by the age of 20. Interestingly, they also had the moles, another important melanoma risk factor. Doctors are speculating the occurrence of moles as a sign of exposure to damaging UV rays at an early age.

The study also revealed the disappearance of BRAF at the age of 30 but a new threatening melanoma subtype, mutations in a gene called NRAS, is strongly linked to UV exposure by age 50.

Melanoma is anticipated to affect almost 60,000 Americans this year and might end up killing some 8,100. Doctors have found the skin cancer in adults as well as children which is caused when they’re exposed to the sun during beach vacations, school recesses, and outdoor sports. Dermatologists have found that the UV rays can even penetrate through glass, differ from day to day and have suggested people to plan their outings keeping in mind the UV index at that time of the day.

The sunscreens offered until now provided protection against sunburns only (caused by UVB rays) and not against skin cancer (caused by deep penetrating UVA rays). The SPF rate mentioned on different sunscreen products indicated the amount of time for which the product shall protect the skin from burning in the sun. For e.g. a SPF 15 sunscreen indicates 15 min protection under the sun whereas in normal circumstances 1 min exposure under the sun causes sunburns.

The EPA has recommended the following precautions that one must take before going out in the summer sun:

• Apply sunscreen generously (a thick layer) to exposed skin parts using a SPF of at least 15 or more so that the skin is protected against both UVA and UVB.

• Reapply every two hours as it can get washed away due to sweat or water.

• Apply sunscreen at least 30 minutes before going out in the sun as it takes that much time to start functioning.

• Avoid going out during peak hours i.e. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. but if it can’t be avoided wear hats and appropriate clothing and seek shade wherever you can.

• Use extra caution near water, snow and sand as they double the UV rays exposure by reflecting the damaging rays.

Although ultraviolet rays are necessary for our body to produce vitamin D, a substance that helps strengthen bones and safeguards against diseases such as Rickets but excess of it causes "erythema", also known as sunburn.

UV rays are also used as a therapy for psoriasis, a condition in which the skin sheds its cells too quickly, resulting in itchy, scaly patches on various parts of the body. But UV rays slow down the growth of these cells.

Other uses of UV rays include disinfecting fish tanks and sterilizing medical equipment.