https://www.futurity.org/sunscreen-skin-melanoma-cancer-2991582/
"Sunscreen usage is climbing, but so are melanoma and skin cancer rates.
Researchers call it the “sunscreen paradox.”
“The problem is that people use sunscreen as a ‘permission slip’ to tan,” says
Ivan Litvinov, an associate professor in the department of medicine and chair
of the dermatology division at McGill University and coauthor of two recent
studies that explore the sunscreen paradox.
“People think they are protected from skin cancer because they are using a
product marketed to prevent a condition.”
Most people don’t apply enough sunscreen or stay in the sun for hours after
applying sunscreen in the morning. “This gives them a false sense of security,”
Litvinov says.
To understand the factors between varying incidence rates of melanoma in the
Atlantic provinces of Canada, researchers including Litvinov and colleague
Sandra Peláez conducted 23 focus groups.
In the first study, published in the journal
Cancers, the researchers found
that Canadians living in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island—provinces with
high melanoma incidence rates—were more likely to report using sun protection,
more aware of the health risks of sun exposure, and more apt to follow the UV
index.
Despite this, they also received more sun exposure due to warmer temperatures
and a tendency to engage in outdoor activities.
Similarly, in a second study of the United Kingdom Biobank by Jeremian, Xie,
and Litvinov, the researchers documented that sunscreen use was surprisingly
associated with a more than twofold risk of developing skin cancer. This study
appears in
Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention.
“These combined findings suggest a sunscreen paradox, whereby individuals with
higher levels of sun exposure also tend to use more but not an adequate
quantity of sunscreen or other sun-protection measures, providing a false sense
of security,” Litvinov says."
Via Rixty Dixet.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
