Page 24 - BCMS ONline directory

COSMETIC MEDICINE

Summer,

sun,

shades…

oh, and

don’t

forget the

sunscreen!

By Pavela G. Bambekova

A lot has changed about the notion of beautiful skin through- The objective of the study was to determine the systemic exposure
of sunscreen active ingredients (avobenzone, oxybenzone, octocry-
out the years. Despite Coco Chanel’s inspiration for tanning
in the 1920s and the craze of tanning beds in the ‘70s, the notion lene, and ecamsule) present in commercially available sunscreen
of beautiful skin seems to have turned 180°, and sun-blocking products of different formulation types (cream, spray, and lotion)
agents that help reduce wrinkles, leathery skin, and brown spots as- under maximal usage conditions. The authors determined that
sociated with long-term sun exposure appear to be more appealing plasma concentrations of active ingredients were greater than 0.5
to people who appreciate skin beauty. But whether one spends time ng/mL (the threshold limit established by the U.S. Food and Drug
at the pool with friends or travels to the beach with family this sum- Administration) in all four products after four applications on day
mer, it can be easy to forget the sunscreen. one, and three of the four active ingredients remained above the
As the sun gets brighter and stronger, dermatologists are encour- threshold for the duration of the study. This study left many people
aging patients to apply sunscreen on a regular basis. May was Skin wondering if wearing sunscreen is actually doing more harm than
Cancer Awareness month, which serves as an annual reminder that good. The media, which followed with headlines like “Sunscreen
routine sunscreen use helps reduce the risk of developing skin can- chemicals enter bloodstream at potentially unsafe levels” and “High
cer. Applying sunscreen daily can also prevent sunburns and de- levels of sunscreen ingredients enter blood after just a day of use”
crease signs of skin aging, thus leaving skin to look and feel younger, helped generate a scare among consumers.
more radiant, and healthier. “It is important to keep in mind that the plasma concentration
Despite the well-studied benefits of sunscreen, regular sunscreen found within the study participants does not necessarily equate to a
use has generated a lot of attention lately, especially after an article toxic level,” says Dr. Faryal Siddiqui, a dermatology resident at UT
by Matta et. al. was published in the May issue of JAMA. The in- Health San Antonio. “I wouldn't want this to deter any of my pa-
1
vestigators conducted a randomized clinical trial of 24 healthy vol- tients from practicing good sun safety.”
unteers who applied sunscreen four times per day for seven days. Demonstrating that active ingredients are systemically absorbed

24 San Antonio Medicine • July 2019