Sunscreens

Main article: The effect of the sun on humans

Types of sunscreens

UVB

This abbreviation means that the cream protects the skin from exposure to group B medium-wave ultraviolet rays. Despite the fact that these rays act painlessly and make up only 5% of all ultraviolet radiation, they penetrate the skin very deeply. The intensity of this radiation increases from 10-15 o'clock in the afternoon. It is this type of UV rays that causes burns and redness, as well as the development of melanoma - skin cancer.

UVA

Sunscreens with this abbreviation indicate that this agent protects your skin from UV rays of group A, which make up 95% of the total ultraviolet light reaching the Earth. They are much weaker than the rays of group A, however, due to their ability to penetrate glass and even clouds, they are almost ubiquitous, and pose a danger to people with delicate and sensitive skin. Therefore, people with this type of skin are able to burn in the sun in the shortest possible time and when in the sun for more than an hour they need to use UVA creams.

SPF

The most popular sunscreen category. The acronym stands for Sun Protection Factor, meaning "sunscreen factor." After the abbreviation are numbers indicating the degree of protection of the skin from UV rays. These figures conventionally show how many times longer you can stay in the sun using this cream than without it. The higher the figure, the accordingly, you will be able to stay in the sun for longer until the moment when the skin starts to burn. However, it should be understood that these figures do not guarantee 100% compliance with your skin type and it is not worth relying on them completely.

Mineral for patients with rosacea

Mineral sunscreens are those products that contain mineral-based filters, such as titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, and reflect ultraviolet rays from the skin, as opposed to chemical filters that absorb ultraviolet radiation and convert it to heat. It was such drugs that were recommended in 2022 for patients with rosacea ^[1]

Protection of moles

In the southern regions, in the bright sun, the moles zone must be protected with sunscreen, because this is where melanoma occurs.

Chronicle

2021

Johnson & Johnson recalls defective sun sprays that can cause cancer

On July 15, 2021, information appeared that Johnson & Johnson it was recalling defective sun sprays that could cause. cancer The company is recalling aerosol Aveeno sunscreens and Neutrogena after internal analyses of samples revealed the presence of benzene, a known carcinogen. More. here

Cancer-causing substances found in sunscreens from 10 brands

In late May 2021, independent pharmaceutical company Valisure discovered that 78 batches of sunscreens contained the known carcinogen benzene. The company asked regulators to withdraw 40 products from the market from ten different brands that contain benzene in concentrations dangerous to humans.

The problem is not related to a specific sunscreen brand, but to certain batches, since in some samples the concentration of benzene was very high, and in other batches of the same brand it was not found at all.

Cancer-causing substances found in sunscreens from 10 brands

Benzene, an industrial chemical commonly found in crude oil and cigarette smoke, as well as used in the production of plastic and pesticides, is a human carcinogen and can cause irreversible harm when exposed for longer periods of time, that is, exposure for more than one year.

According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, diseases such as leukemia, anemia and reduced ovarian size are associated with long-term exposure to benzene.

In total, 294 batches of sunscreen products from 69 different brands were tested during the study. The following brands produced sunscreens that Valisure is asking to be recalled from the market: Neutrogena, Sun Bum, CVS Health, Fruit of the Earth, Raw Elements, SunBurnt, Goodsense, Banana Boat, TopCare Everyday and EltaMD. Benzene was not found in all products of these brands, and customers are advised to check the full list of identified problem batches.

The researchers also recalled that the use of sunscreen in the spring-summer period is extremely important, and they should not be abandoned in fear of potential carcinogens.^[2]

Notes