Expert slams sunscreen cancer risk claims

The health authorities are extremely concerned that people are ditching their high-factor sunscreens because of misinformation.

The dermatology department at Sir Paul Boffa Hospital has been inundated with calls from worried people who are throwing away their sunscreen lotions out of fear of skin cancer.

But department head Lawrence Scerri warned that this was a very dangerous trend and could lead to a spike in cases of skin cancer.

Speaking to The Times, Dr Scerri said people were confused following reports that high-factor sunscreens could cause skin cancer. But he said this was nothing compared to the risk of skin cancer - including the potentially-deadly melanoma - caused by exposure to the sun without protection.

"This is causing confusion in people's minds after years of hearing about the importance of applying sunscreen."

The reports are based on the theory that oxygen-free radicals released by the ray-filtering chemicals used in sunscreens could be dangerous when they interact with the sun's ultraviolet rays deep in the skin.

While the free radicals do not cause any damage at the surface of the skin, Dr Scerri said that even if they are absorbed and interact with the sun's rays deeper in the skin, the doses of free radicals are too low to be harmful.

Moreover, he continued, dermatologists have long been encouraging people to apply sunscreen every two hours and this would block any rays from penetrating deep into the skin and interact with molecules that had been absorbed earlier.

Free radicals were found in any sunscreen, meaning that encouraging people to use sunscreens with lower sun protection levels was completely misleading.

"There is irrefutable and overwhelming evidence that the ultraviolet rays cause sunburn, skin cancer and skin ageing," he said, adding that this "definitely" outweighed the free radical theory.

He said the risk of getting skin cancer if one does not use sunscreen was much higher than the theoretical risk of danger from using sunscreens, describing the two as "an oceans apart".

Dr Scerri pointed out that the sun protection factor is measured under laboratory conditions, adding that nobody applies so much cream. "It is best to use the highest factor possible to make up for this deficiency."

The minimum sunscreen is factor 20 for adults and factor 30 for children.

He also warned that sunscreens are only part of the sun protection package and urged people to stay in the shade between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., use hats and protective clothing.