Sunscreen Does Not Cause Cancer (Skin Cancer Foundation)

Summer is in full swing, and we want to take a minute to remind parents that sunscreen is an important part of summer safety for your children. The Skin Cancer Foundation has provided an important article to help dispel myths about sunscreen.

From Deborah S. Sarnoff, MD, president of the Skin Cancer Foundation, “There is absolutely no evidence that sunscreen causes skin cancer. This claim is false, it has no scientific basis and worse yet, it endangers public health. What we do know with 100% certainty is that the main cause of most skin cancers is unprotected exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun or tanning beds. Sun exposure causes DNA damage in skin cells. That damage can cause mutations that lead to skin cancer. That is a fact.”

FACT: Unprotected exposure to UV radiation causes about 90 percent of nonmelanoma skin cancers and 86 percent of melanomas. Further, UV radiation is a proven human carcinogen.

FACT: Sunscreen, as part of a complete sun protection strategy, helps to prevent skin cancer. Two studies showed that in people who used sunscreen every day, melanoma was reduced by 50 percent and squamous cell carcinoma by 40 percent.

The Facts

• Anyone can get skin cancer, at any age and any skin tone. Nobody is immune.

• Skin cancer is serious. It can be disfiguring, emotionally damaging, and deadly.

• Ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun and tanning beds is a proven human carcinogen and the main cause of most skin cancers.

• A tan is proof of sun damage to your skin; it does not protect your skin from burning.

• Sunscreen prevents skin cancer. It does NOT cause skin cancer

• Indoor tanning is especially dangerous and strongly linked to melanoma and other skin cancers.

For more information, visit www.skincancer.org

This article is informational and is not a substitute for medical attention or information from a certified medical provider.