What's up with the anti-sunscreen rhetoric?

Rex Huppke here! To get into all these anti-sunscreen claims spreading online, I spoke with dermatologist Rany Jazayerli of Clear Skin Dermatology.

Some folks on social media are saying sunscreen contains “dangerous” chemicals and doesn’t prevent skin cancer. Why are they saying such things?

It’s all part of the wellness movement. There’s this cult of naturalism where everything manmade is somehow evil.

As a dermatologist, how do you feel when you see stuff like this spread?

It’s good for my business, I guess. One of the things that has always struck me as strange about this wellness industry is that they say things like “business interests are the reasons you’ve been tricked into thinking sunscreen is good for you.” But those same people are almost invariably making money off some form of “natural” product.

OK, let’s end the debate then: Is sunscreen good or bad?

Good. Wearing it consistently will have a multitude of benefits. It will protect you from skin cancer. And more important to many in the generation that’s on TikTok, it will prevent aging of the skin. It will prevent the marks of aging, like brown spots, or what some people call liver spots.?My patients ask for so much advice on cosmetics. How do I make my skin look younger? It seems almost tragically basic to say, but the most important cosmetic product you can use is sunscreen.

What I hear you saying is we shouldn’t trust the dermatological opinions of random people on the internet.

Probably not. Just like I wouldn’t trust the guy sitting in seat 13C to pilot the airplane.

Does too much sun exposure really make us look like we’ve aged?

We’re much better at preventing wrinkles than trying to reverse them. The most graphic example is my patients who go to tanning beds. Fortunately, this is not as common as it used to be when I started practicing. But every once in a while a patient will walk in and I know this person is in the tanning bed twice a week. They’re in their 30s and their skin looks like they’re 60 years old.

I grew up in Florida, so I should know this, but can you explain what actually happens to our skin when it’s exposed to sunlight?

The whole purpose of the skin is to protect the inside of the body from ultraviolet light. UV light from the sun is a form of radiation. The energy of the UV light is enough that if it hits the DNA of a cell, it can cause a mutation. It changes the DNA at a molecular level. Every time a mutation occurs, it can disrupt the way the cell works. Enough mutations in a single cell can lead in the direction of cancer.

Yikes.

Melanoma is the most dangerous form of skin cancer. Our cells have melanin in them — it’s a pigment that blocks the sun from going any deeper into the skin. If a mutation occurs in those cells, a melanoma can form.? Golfers are notorious for getting more skin cancer. Roofers are famous in our industry for getting more skin cancer.?

All right, I’m frightened enough. What steps do you recommend people take to safely enjoy the sun this summer?

There’s no substitute for common sense. Try to avoid being out during the brightest hours of the day, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Wear a hat, with a brim, preferably, to protect the whole face. Definitely apply a sunscreen, ideally at least an SPF 50. And then reapply it if you’re going to be out for more than an hour or two.?

What's the difference between SPF 30 or SPF 50 or SPF 100? Is it a major difference? And is it worth spending more money for the higher SPF numbers?

SPF refers to the ratio between the amount of UV light that hits the sunscreen and the amount that gets through, assuming a standardized thickness of application. So an SPF 30 sunscreen lets 1/30th of the UV light through, an SPF 100 sunscreen 1/100th et cetera. Once you get above 30 and especially 50, the practical difference is small. An SPF 30 sunscreen blocks 96.7% of UV light, an SPF 50 will block 98%, an SPF 100 will block 99%. I generally recommend 50 and up, because they're easy to find now and not particularly expensive.

What’s the best kind of sunscreen?

Mineral sunscreens, because they sit on top of the skin and physically block the sun from reaching the skin in the first place. Those are generally the ones that have zinc or titanium in them. But they tend to be more visible, like when you see a lifeguard with a really white nose.?

Are non-mineral options OK?

Any sunscreen that’s SPF 50 or above is going to protect you, as long as you’re being smart, reapplying and not staying out too long. You want a sunscreen that’s broad spectrum, which protects against ultraviolet A and ultraviolet B.

Now if we could just find something to protect us from TikTok influencers.?

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

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