The Skin Cancer Foundation Urges Continued Use as Part of Sun Protection

The Skin Cancer Foundation and experts in skin diseases nationwide are expressing concern that a consumer lawsuit filed against sunscreen manufacturers may give the public pause about regular sunscreen use.

Lerach Coughlin Stoia Geller Rudman & Robbins LLP, and Abraham Fruchter & Twersky LLP, two law firms specializing in class actions, filed the lawsuit in California Superior Court in Los Angeles. The suit, which consolidates 9 previous lawsuits filed by individuals, alleges that manufacturers are making systematically fraudulent, deliberately misleading claims on their labels and websites and in their advertising, exaggerating the ability of sunscreens to protect against the sun and reduce the risk of cancer and other skin ailments. It seeks an injunction against the manufacturers, compensation for consumers and other remedies, including a public education program on sun protection paid for by the industry.

Although both UVA and UVB rays from the sun pose threats to the skin, sunscreen SPF designations apply only to protection from UVB rays. Nonetheless, manufacturers use SPFs and “broad-spectrum” UV coverage designations to imply a similar level of UVA protection, which SPF does not in fact provide or measure, the suit asserts.

“However, no standards for UVA protection exist yet in the U.S.,” notes Arnold W. Klein, MD, professor of medicine/dermatology at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine. “Though the FDA accepts SPF standards for UVB, it has not approved a UVA standard.” (Such standards do exist abroad, he says, but they are highly variable, depending on the different measurement techniques employed.)

The suit also declares that the “waterproof” designation found on some sunscreens is deceptive, since all sunscreen products lose efficacy when immersed in water, and since there is no standard for measuring sunscreen’s efficacy against UVA after water immersion.

Sounding the Alarm

The Skin Cancer Foundation, backed by dermatologists around the country, has hastened to warn the public that shying away from sunscreen because of these lawsuits would be a dangerous mistake. “The Foundation has worked tirelessly educating the public about the importance of using sunscreen in concert with other sun safety strategies, and we are finally seeing the results of our efforts,” said Perry Robins, MD, President and Founder of The Skin Cancer Foundation. “This suit is disturbing because it may cause people to stop using sunscreen, leaving them more vulnerable to melanoma and other skin cancers.”

Since its inception in 1979, The Skin Cancer Foundation has always recommended using sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher as one important part of a complete sun protection regimen, which includes the following strategies:

• Seek the shade, especially between 10 A.M. and 4 P.M.
• Do not burn.
• Wear a sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher every day.
• Apply 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) of sunscreen to your entire body 30 minutes before going outside. Reapply every two hours or after swimming or excessive sweating.
• Cover up with clothing, including a broad-brimmed hat and UV-blocking sunglasses.
• Keep newborns out of the sun. Sunscreens should be used on babies over the age of six months.
• Examine your skin from head to toe once every month.
• See your doctor every year for a professional skin exam.
• Avoid tanning and UV tanning salons.

The Foundation maintains that when people practice all of these strategies, using sunscreen will in fact help prevent skin cancer. However, the Foundation acknowledges that the FDA needs to finalize its monograph governing sunscreen use and marketing, including designation of a method for measuring UVA protection.