Alina Khan

Due Date: 12/19/18

Professor Michael Grove

English 21003

Research Paper Draft

 

What’s in the Sunscreen?

 

             Skin care used to protect sun damage should be a part of everyone’s daily routine. Though it may not seem so significant to people, sun protection is a necessity for people all over the world. One main product used all over the world is sunscreen, which is beneficial for preventing skin cancer and delay the aging of the skin caused by sun exposure. Despite sunscreen being a topic discussed and known by people all over the world, people tend to know less about the ingredients in the products, due to which there are lower rates of sunscreen usage. Cancer researcher M.S. Latha states that, “The increasing incidence of skin cancers and photo damaging effects caused by ultraviolet radiation has increased the use of sunscreening agents(Latha, 2013),” which displays that there were more incidents of skin damage visible in individuals. Therefore, it’s pertinent to encourage the use of the right sunscreen products in order to prevent future damage to the skin.   

          In order to increase the utilization of sunscreen, it’s essential for consumers to create daily habits on using the right products on their skin. There are many people who don’t really pay attention to the ingredients that are in the product which they are applying on their skin.  From a young age, we teach people about the importance of using sunscreen daily to protect their skin from ultraviolet rays, skin aging, and early skin cancer. Whether it’s in moisturizer, makeup, etc, it’s necessary to wear at all times to shield the skin from harmful effects caused by the sunlight. This makes people reliant on doing what is necessary, but does not make people realize how important it is to take notice of the ingredients they are allowing on their skin, or what these ingredients may cause. There are certain ingredients which people should avoid, such as oxybenzone, a synthetic estrogen that penetrates the skin and can disrupt the hormone system. Catastrophic ingredients like Oxybenzone lead to concerns, “regarding the environmental effects of commonly used organic ultraviolet (UV) filters(Schneider SL, 2018).”  Although Oxybenzone is a main ingredient in common sunscreens, it may cause more harm than good. This chemical absorbs into the skin, causing damage to the bloodstream. Other harmful ingredients which people should avoid are retinyl palmitate, retinol or vitamin A. It’s also significant to avoid chemical sunscreens since they lack UV-A protection and UV-B protection. UV-A radiation penetrates deep into the dermis, which can cause premature skin and wrinkles. Similarly, UV-B radiation can cause pigmentation, sunburn, and chronic changes. The protection from UV-A and UV-B rays is achievable when a sunscreen product is manufactured with agents that have SPF of 30 or greater.

        On the other hand, there are many sunscreen products which are utilized on a daily, however, their safety and efficacy are questioned, due to which people limit their usage. In order for individuals to increase the usage of sunscreen products, they need to be assured of the benefits and safeness of the products which are being applied.Though there are many people who limit the usage of sunscreen due to the lack of information on the benefits of sunscreen, many people don’t trust using different products on their skin. In order to test out the efficacy of sunscreen, research was done to determine whether chemical broad-spectrum sunscreen has the ability to protect human skin against tissue, along with DNA damage when exposed to UV radiation. Vickram Bissonauth conducted research which stated,  “tissue and DNA damage may provide excellent quantitative end points for assessing the photoprotective efficacy of sunscreens(Bissonauth, 2000).” Clinical and epidemiological evidence provides an insight on the increase of skin cancer when exposed to UV light. On the other hand, Latha addresses the efficacy of SPF level through a computer program and sunscreen stimulators to observe whether or not the product meets the standards to protect the skin against UV-A and UV-B radiation.On the other hand, researchers Lewis A. Baker, Barbara Marchetti, Tolga N. V. Karsili, Vasilios G. Stavros, and Michael N. R. Ashfold(2017), explain that “More than 90% of the body’s vitamin D requirements are satisfied by the UV-B mediated conversion of 7-dehydrocholesterol to previtamin D, a precursor of vitamin D. Underexposure to UV-B can thus lead to a deficiency in vitamin D, which can lead to the development of skeletal disease and osteoporosis.” Not only is there skin damage, but also the lack of certain ingredients may lead to health problems as well. Thus, it’s important to use sunscreen which consists of UV-B protection.  

         According to the research article, Sunscreening agents, “Improper sunscreen usage and inadequate application also contribute to the increased prevalence of sunburn, despite the frequent use of sunscreening agents. Available evidence indicates that sunburn is more commonly seen in white-skinned people and young people with sensitive skin(Latha, 2013).” Though many people utilize sunscreen products, they do not use the proper products. The relevance of proper sunscreen products is shown through the increased rate of sunburn without it. Normally, the common ingredients found in sunscreen are titanium dioxide, kaolin, talc, zinc oxide, calcium carbonate, and magnesium oxide. In order to avoid future damage to the skin, people need to choose sunscreen which include the more effective ingredients such as bemotrizinol, avobenzone, bisoctrizole, and octocrylene. Though certain ingredients don’t play a role in the effectiveness of the product, there are main ingredients which people should check before purchasing the product. Ideal sunscreen should be safe and non-irritating to the skin, along with providing full protection of against harm from solar radiation. Sunscreen products which include SPF 50 or higher provide more protection to the skin when exposed to the sun, allowing protection against UV-B rays.  “Inorganic particulates may scatter the microparticles in the upper layers of skin, thereby increasing the optical pathway of photons, leading to absorption of more photons and enhancing the sun protection factor (SPF), resulting in high efficiency of the compound.” Sunscreen may protect the skin from the sun with a mineral or chemical barrier. Chemical sunscreens are known to absorb high energy UV rays since they include multiple organic compounds which prove to be beneficial to the skin. ““Active ingredients zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, particularly micronized versions, offer superior UV-A protection and photostability(Xu, 2016).” When purchasing a sunscreen product, the consumers should confirm whether or not the sunscreen product which they are purchasing consists of the active ingredients.

           However, there are also main ingredients which are prevalent for the formation of sunscreen. Researchers Monico G, Leo M, Ma B, Johal RS, Ma T, Sivamani RK(2015), explain the necessity of botanical products and vitamins in skin care or sunscreen products. During the evaluation of the sunscreen, the overall prevalence for the use of botanical agents was 62 percent, along with 79 percent for the use of vitamins. The evaluation also signifies the use of aloe vera and licorice root extracts, which prove to be beneficial to the skin. When the sunscreen products consist of many botanical products, the price becomes higher. When the sunscreen products have utilized the right amount of prevalent products, the price range is usually higher. Similarly, researchers Shuai Xu, MD, MSc, Michael Kwa, BA, Ashwin Agarwal, MD(2016), seek out to find the characteristics and features of sunscreen that consumers would favor. They describe, “Sunscreen use is a modifiable behavior that can help reduce the risk for skin cancer, prevent sunburns, mitigate photoaging, and treat photosensitive dermatoses(Xu, 2016).” Though the use of sunscreen is pertinent, the utilization of sun protection products is very low in adolescents and adults. Based on the consumer ratings, “Nearly all products (88%; 57 of 65) had additional claims associated with being sensitive skin compatible, preservative-free, natural and/or organic, non comedogenic, or animal safe(Xu, 2016).” The preference of the consumers were displayed through the products which were sold the most on amazon. Likewise, this research article also address, “For product effectiveness, the sunscreen SPF was not frequently cited as a positive feature, which may be associated with a lack of consumer understanding of SPF10 or preselection of high SPF products(Xu, 2016).” This provides evidence that most consumers buy products which are popular and prefer to use sunscreen products which are water resistant or sweat resistant. However, consumers may not pay attention to ingredients which are the most valuable for one’s skin. SPF has not gotten a positive rating from the consumers, though SPF prevents wrinkles and fine lines. This displays the lack of knowledge that consumers may have on the ingredients which are used in the sunscreen products, bringing them closer to skin damage.                 

             Therefore, people all over the world need to start including sunscreen in their daily routine. Though there are many brands of sunscreen, it’s pertinent to choose the one which would provide the most protection for the skin. The avoidance of synthetic estrogens, UV-A rays, and UV-B rays will prove to be effective in the prevention of skin damage. The efficacy and safety of sunscreen products is vivid through the appropriate product ingredients, such as botanical products and vitamins. If there are concerns on which sunscreen to use, professionals, such as dermatologists would prescribe the products which would perform more intensive protection on the skin.       

 

Citations:

 

1. Latha, M. S., Martis, J., Shobha, V., Sham Shinde, R., Bangera, S., Krishnankutty, B., Bellary, S., Varughese, S., Rao, P., … Naveen Kumar, B. R. (2013). Sunscreening agents: a review. The Journal of clinical and aesthetic dermatology, 6(1), 16-26.
2. Young AR, Orchard GE, Harrison GI et al. The detrimental effects of daily sub-erythemal exposure on human skin in vivo can be prevented by a daily-care broad-spectrum sunscreen. Journal of Investigative Dermatology 2007;127:975–8.
3. Bissonauth, Vickram & Drouin, Régen & L Mitchell, D & Rhainds, Marc & Claveau, Joël & Rouabhia, Mahmoud. (2000). The efficacy of a broad-spectrum sunscreen to protect engineered human skin from tissue and DNA damage induced by solar ultraviolet exposure. Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. 6. 4128-35.
4. G, M., M, L., B, M., S, J. R., T, M., & K, S. R. (2015). The use of botanical products and vitamins in sunscreens.
5. Xu S, Kwa M, Agarwal A, Rademaker A, Kundu RV. Sunscreen Product Performance and Other Determinants of Consumer Preferences. JAMA Dermatol. 2016;152(8):920–927. doi:10.1001/jamadermatol.2016.2344
6. A. Baker, Lewis & Marchetti, Barbara & Karsili, Tolga & G. Stavros, Vasilios & N. R. Ashfold, Michael. (2017). Photoprotection: Extending lessons learned from studying natural sunscreens to the design of artificial sunscreen constituents. Chem. Soc. Rev.. 46. 10.1039/C7CS00102A.
7. Schneider, S. L., & Lim, H. W. (2018). Review of environmental effects of oxybenzone and other sunscreen active ingredients. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 80(1), 266-271.