Sun protection products: which are best?

Posted on 2 December 2016

As many prepare to hit the beach, Skin Cancer Awareness Month reminds us of the importance of sun protection. But how do you know which products offer the best protection? We spoke to Dr Arnold Douglas, a plastic surgeon at Mediclinic Constantiaberg, to compare the available options.

UV sunsuits vs swimming costumes

While more frequently geared towards children, UV sunsuits are available for adults as well and provide more skin protection than regular costumes.

‘While any clothing covering the skin can be considered sun-protective,’ says Dr Douglas, ‘the real difference between a UV suit and a regular costume lies in fibre density and structure – for example, thread count per inch. Some clothing can also be pretreated with a UV-inhibiting ingredient.’

‘Clothing that contains tighter-weaved fibres blocks out more UV rays compared to clothing with looser-woven natural fibres,’ he explains. ‘Garments are given a UPF rating – similar to SPF – with higher numbers indicating more protection.’ The highest rating available is 50+.

According to Baby Banz, industry experts in infant and child UV sun protective clothing and swimwear, aside from denser fabric, darker colours also usually block more UV rays. Garments that are over-stretched, wet or worn out may lose some of their UV protection properties.

Bottle vs spray sunscreen

While there’s much debate surrounding the effectiveness of sun creams as opposed to sun sprays, they’re equally effective in UV protection – provided they’re correctly applied.

‘Creams and lotions are more hydrating and good for dry skin,’ says Dr Douglas. ‘The spray is easier to apply but tends to be used less effectively because inadequate amounts may be applied. If you’re using the easier spray option, spend more time applying it to get adequate coverage. Also remember that all sunscreens need to be reapplied during the day.’

Another sometimes contentious issue is ‘waterproof’ sunscreen. According to Dr Douglas, the FDA no longer allows this term because it’s misleading – no sun protection product is completely water- or sweat-proof, and no product truly blocks the sun.

‘The term water-resistant has now replaced “waterproof”, and is labelled as either 40 minutes or 80 minutes,’ says Dr Douglas. ‘After this amount of time, the sunscreen loses its effectiveness and needs to be reapplied to continue offering sun protection.’

Light vs dark skin

Don’t be fooled, all skin types can be vulnerable to UV rays. ‘It’s a dangerous misconception that people with darker skins are not at risk for skin cancer,’ warns Dr Douglas. ‘Anyone can get skin cancer, regardless of race or skin tone. While the incidence of melanoma is higher in lighter-skinned people, it’s more deadly in people of colour. Darker-skin patients are most likely to be diagnosed with melanoma in its later stages, and they also have the worst prognosis and lowest overall survival rate.’

‘Darker skin produces more of the pigment called melanin that helps protect skin, but this is only to a certain extent. People of colour can still get sunburned, and they can also develop skin cancer from UV damage,’ says Dr Douglas.

Why we should worry

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over the past few decades, there’s been a marked increase in the incidence of both categories of skin cancer: non-melanoma and melanoma. At least 20 000 South Africans are diagnosed with non-melanoma skin cancers each year, and a further approximately 1 500 are diagnosed with melanoma, which is less common but more dangerous.

‘UV radiation from the sun causes injury to the cells of the skin by producing free radicals that damage cell DNA,’ explains Dr Douglas. ‘This damage can lead to abnormal cell growth which may lead to cancerous growths. Sun protection limits this damage by reducing the skin’s exposure to these harmful UV rays.’

For more tips on how to be sunsmart, visit www.cansa.org.za