Burning questions about sun damage

Want to save your skin from damage? Read Sunscreen: The facts and learn how to protect yourself

Think of UVB and UVA radiation as two brothers you once dated. UVB — the wavelength of light that burns your skin and prompts tanning as well as the production of vitamin D — was the ungainly Homer Simpson type who just stained your couch and forgot your birthday. UVA, on the other hand, charmed you with his law degree and Bay Street good looks, then cleaned out your bank account while you were at your mother’s. “UVA is extremely important,” says Cohen. “You never know what hit you because it doesn’t burn. Worse still, it penetrates much deeper into your skin and eyes, and is the main cause of premature aging, cataracts and cancer. It can even penetrate glass — which is a big deal because while you’re sitting around unprotected in your car or by a window, you’re getting damage.”

Not all sunscreens protect you, particularly from UVA

How’s that for a kick in the pants? One minute you think you’re safeguarding your health by spending a wad of cash to look chalky and greasy, the next you’re holding a piece of your nose in your hand screaming, “Why?” “It sounds like the makings of a lawsuit,” chuckles Ottawa-based Kapil Khatter, president of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE). “You sit out in the sun with your SPF 60 with little to no UVA protection thinking you’re safe, and yet it’s encouraging you to do things that are unsafe.”

Doctors such as Khatter are pushing for more transparency and better consumer information in the Canadian suncare industry¬ partially because, although Health Canada requires that all sunscreen manufacturers indicate the SPF strength of their products on the label, this measure refers only to the product’s ability to protect you from UVB, not UVA. “At this point in Canada,” says Cohen, “there’s no way to quantify how much UVA protection you’re getting.” Last year, the U.S. Environmental Working Group studied the active ingredients in more than 900 sunscreens and found that 84 per cent of the products were “inadequate.” Shortly after, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration proposed a new star rating system — loosely based on one already in use in the U.K., where a sunscreen is given a one- to five-star rating depending on its ratio of UVA to UVB protection. While the European system isn’t perfect, don’t hold your breath for a similar indicator here any time soon.

“This issue is on the agenda for this year’s ICCR [International Cooperation on Cosmetic Regulation] process,” says Toronto’s Darren Praznik, president of the Canadian Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association. “But what’s critical is that there be international agreement on an accurate and efficient rating system.” Praznik explains that a comparatively small market like Canada’s could shut out hundreds of effective international products if we were to prematurely devise our own UVA rating system. For most international companies, the cost of relabelling their sun products to meet our standards simply wouldn’t be worth the extra investment. In the meantime, Health Canada does require companies to have at least one recognized UVA protective ingredient if they make any “UVA protection” or “broad spectrum” claims on their labels. Look for UVA protective ingredients such as Parsol 1789, also known as avo — or oxybenzone — titanium dioxide or zinc oxide. In many cases, however, you just won’t know how well it will protect you.

Cover your assets

Here are some of the latest and longest-lasting dermatologist-recommended UVA/UVB protective sunscreens available in Canada. Just remember that you need to apply UV-absorbing sunscreens up to 30 minutes before going out; UV-reflective sunblocks containing titanium dioxide and zinc oxide can be applied immediately before exposure to the sun.

Vichy Laboratoires Capital Soleil Sunblock Cream SPF 60 ($28/150 mL): High UVA/UVB protection with long-lasting Mexoryl XL, Canadian Dermatology Association (CDA) approved

RoC Minesol Protect Ultra High Protection Suncare Cream SPF 60 ($24/50 mL): High UVA/UVB protection with long-lasting Tinosorb M S, CDA approved, also available as a spray

La Roche-Posay Anthelios XL Face and Body Cream SPF 60 ($18/100 mL): High UVA/UVB protection with Mexoryl XL, CDA approved

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Face Sunscreen SPF 45/60 ($13/88 mL): High UVA/UVB protection with Helioplex, CDA approved

Burt’s Bees Chemical-Free Sunscreen with Hemp Seed Oil SPF 30 ($20/100 mL): High UVA/UVB protection with titanium dioxide and essential oils

KINeSYS Spray, SPF 30 ($17/120 mL): High UVA/UVB protection with Parsol 1789, also available as a cream

Label lexicon

SPF (sun protection factor) is an incremental sunscreen measurement from 0 to 65, which indicates a product’s effectiveness at preventing sunburn from UVB radiation. An SPF 15 product, for example, blocks approximately 92 per cent of the sun’s UVB rays; an SPF 30, 97 per cent.

UVB radiation An ultraviolet wavelength of sunlight responsible for burning, tanning and vitamin D production

UVA radiation More harmful than UVB, these ultraviolet rays don’t burn but are strong enough to penetrate glass and are the main cause of skin and eye damage as well as cancer.

Waterproof A sunscreen that maintains its SPF level of protection up to or after 80 minutes in water

Water resistant A sunscreen that remains effective up to or after 40 minutes in water

Want to save your skin from damage? Read Sunscreen: The facts and learn how to protect yourself

This article originally appeared in the Summer 2008 issue of More