LETTER TO THE EDITOR – AUGUST 2001

I have just finished reading your article on sunscreens and skin cancer and I have to admit I was absolutely shocked at the things I have found out. I have a young child who has been playing outside quite a bit and I have taken quite a few of the precautions that you mentioned, but could sunscreen really be harming my child? Also, I have recently heard that wearing dark tinted sunglasses could actually cause you to burn easier because it tricks your body into thinking that it no longer has to protect itself from the sun's rays which allows more to be absorbed. Do you know if this is really so?

TJ, USA

Editor: Sunscreens do not protect against melanoma or most skin cancers, but they do help prevent sunburns. The big problem is that their use gives one a false sense of security because of the (false) assumption that if they prevent sunburn they must also prevent skin cancer. I rarely use sunscreen myself, but when I do I use a zinc oxide based one. There is increasing evidence that the main components (benzophenone, etc.) of chemical based sunscreens are "bad actors". There is an article published in the "New Scientist", April 21, 2001, p. 5 discussing this topic. I have not heard about the connection between increased sun sensitivity and the wearing of sunglasses. However, wearing sunglasses should help protect against the development of cataracts later in life.