Cancer warning over sun creams

London - Sunscreen manufacturers yesterday insisted their products were safe, but said they would continue to develop and reformulate lotions after research found sunscreens did not prevent skin cancer.

Scientists from a medical research charity, the Restoration of Appearance and Function Trust (Raft), warned that using a sunscreen could increase the risk of developing malignant melanoma - the most aggressive form of skin cancer.

The team, based at Mount Vernon hospital in north London, said British consumers were staying out longer in the sun while using high factor sun creams that protected against UVB rays and prevented burning. But the same creams offered almost no protection against the invisible damage caused by harmful UVA rays, despite assurances on the bottle.

Claire Linge, head of cell biology at Raft, said her team tested three high protection sunscreens on skin discarded from surgery. Although the sunscreens claimed to offer protection against UVA light, tests showed UVAs penetrated the skin even when creams were applied in the recommended amount. UVA light, once believed to be less harmful than UVB, is now thought to cause the release of free radicals, which damage DNA and and cause melanoma.

Dr Linge said: "We found the protection against UVA was the equivalent of only sun protection factor 2. The non-education of the public is worrying. You don't have to go red to have UVA damage."

Raft is in discussions with manufacturers about funding research into a new additive to protect against UVA, which could be available within a year.

Boots, the biggest British sun cream manufacturer, said it had led the market in UVA protection, introducing a four-star UVA ratings system 10 years ago. A spokeswoman said the company was reformulating products to increase UVA protection and financing research. "Our Soltan range next year will have higher UVA protection," she said.

The Body Shop said its new sun care range next spring would include "broad spectrum protection" against UVA and UVB.

A spokeswoman for L'Oréal, which produces Ambre Solaire sunscreens, said the safety of consumers was of "paramount importance".

She said the company had been developing and patenting UVA protection technology since the 1980s and research continued. L'Oréal also subscribed to the UVA four-star rating system. It ran education programmes and issued leaflets about avoiding intense sun and covering up because sun creams could not be relied upon 100%.

But Mark Birch-Machin, a dermatologist and skin cancer expert for Cancer Research, said the four-star UVA protection rating on sunscreens was arbitrary.

He said: "Even at four stars, the UVA protection is only 80% effective, compared to the UVB protection. We must not chuck the baby out with the bath water and say no to sun screen which is a very useful and valuable tool. But the person who relies exclusively on sun cream could be in a lot of trouble in terms of skin damage."

Sara Hiom, coordinator of Cancer Research's government-funded SunSmart campaign, said Raft's research confirmed the charity's guidelines that "sun cream should not be the first line of defence against skin cancer". Holidaymakers should wear wide-brimmed hats and long-sleeved T-shirts, seek shade and avoid sun exposure between 11am and 3pm. -- Associated Press

Brudirect.com News