We have always been told that wearing sunscreen is a necessity and that it’s good for our skin.
Experts now believe that wearing high factor sunscreens may be contributing to the rise in malignant melanoma and the cause of vitamin D deficiency in many people, according to the publication Times of India.
A recent study done by the British Association of Dermatologists reportedly revealed that 72 percent of people admitted to being sunburned last year, which would make them twice as likely to develop deadly melanoma. The problem here may be that we’re not wearing the right sunscreen or even that we’re getting a false sense of security from the sunscreen we are using, according to The Inquisitr.
“People tend to think they’re invincible once they’ve put it on and end up spending longer out in the sun, increasing their overall exposure to UV rays,” stated one of the authors of the new study, Dr. Julie Sharp of Cancer Research U.K.
“This research adds important evidence showing that sunscreen has a role, but that you shouldn’t just rely on this to protect your skin.”
We’re often told that the higher the SPF, the more protection we’ll have from the sun. However, choosing an SPF 50 cream over an SPF 15 sunscreen doesn’t guarantee full protection.
“If you’re using at least SPF 15 sunscreen with four or more stars, it’s more important to make sure you apply it properly — generously and regularly — rather than worry about using a higher SPF,” explained Tom Stansfeld, health information officer at Cancer Research UK.
“A high UVA protection star rating is important because UVA radiation makes up most of our natural sunlight, and is linked to skin cancer and aging — and we’d like to see more sunscreens offer at least four-star UVA protection.”
