Lots of sunscreen products do not meet their SPF.
Health officials have recently discovered that a wide variety of sunscreen products might not be as good as customers think they are.
Most people enjoy the fact that summer is here and that now they can go to the beach to get tanned. But health officials warn people that the sun might be dangerous for their skin.
Based on the statistics from the American Cancer Society, over five million Americans develop skin cancer every year.
This number makes up for the combined diagnoses of the lung, colon, prostate, and breast cancer. In other words, people must be aware of the fact that going to the beach is not just about having fun.
According to Dr. Deborah Sarnoff, Skin Cancer Foundation senior vice president, the present situation might be compared with an epidemic if people do not take active measures to protect themselves against the UV rays as soon as possible.
Sarnoff underlined that beachgoers and all other people must stick to the sun protection package which includes seeking shade during the hottest hours of the day, wearing UV-blocking sunglasses, hats, and a long-sleeved shirt.
Also, healthy sunscreen products will prove to be a valuable asset to protect yourself against sunburns, but the present statistics show that 53 percent of the people who participated in the latest study, seldom or never rely on sunscreen.
According to Consumer Reports, there around 8,000 brands of sunscreen products on the market including lotion, cream, sticks, and sprays with a wide variety of sun protection factor and ingredients.
But after testing over 50 products with at least SPF 30, researchers found that 43 percent of them were not even close to SPF 30.
Health officials from the American Academy of Dermatology advise people to look for sunscreen products with at least SPF 30 because they block 98 percent of the UV rays.
SPF 15 products provide only 93 percent, whereas anything higher than SPF 30 does not offer too much additional protection.
Health officials also stress that customers should look for a sunscreen product is labeled as ‘broad spectrum’ because it blocks both UVA and UVB rays.
UVB rays are shorter but more common than UVA rays as they are the ones causing sunburns. However UVA rays have a long wavelength, so they penetrate the skin deeper, increasing the risk of developing skin cancer.
Dr. Sarnoff underlines that besides looking for healthy sunscreen products, everyone should perform a skin check every month and even make an appointment to their doctors on a regular basis because early detection means that every type of skin cancer, even melanoma, will be cured.
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