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Posted on Jan 30, 2004, 5 a.m.
By Bill Freeman
Skin cancer experts have warned that sunscreens do not offer full protection against malignant melanoma, a highly dangerous form of skin cancer, even when they are applied correctly. Professor Roy Sanders and colleagues at a British medical charity called the Restoration of Appearance and Function Trust found that sunscreens were not very effective at blocking ultraviolet A (UVA) light even when the packaging stated that the product offered protection against both UVA and UVB rays.
Skin cancer experts have warned that sunscreens do not offer full protection against malignant melanoma, a highly dangerous form of skin cancer, even when they are applied correctly. Professor Roy Sanders and colleagues at a British medical charity called the Restoration of Appearance and Function Trust found that sunscreens were not very effective at blocking ultraviolet A (UVA) light even when the packaging stated that the product offered protection against both UVA and UVB rays. Many people think that sunbathing is safe as long as they apply sunscreens, however Sanders says that this is not the case and that sunscreens may actually increase the risk of developing melanoma as people wearing them tend to stay out in the sun for much longer. Cases of malignant melanoma in Britain have doubled every 10 years since the 1950s. CATEGORY: Cancer
SOURCE/REFERENCE: Reported by www.reutershealth.com on the 29th September 2003.
