What should we pay attention to when choosing sunscreen?

With the arrival of summer, the demand for sunscreen among citizens has increased.

Drawing attention to the points that need to be known regarding sunscreens, which are used to prevent skin damage caused by the sun, Dermatology Specialist Dr. Elif Topçu offered important advice.

''SUNSCREENS ARE PRODUCTS WE USE NOT ONLY FOR PROTECTION FROM THE SUN BUT ALSO AS TREATMENT SUPPORT''

Stating that sunscreens are no longer a luxury, Dermatology Specialist Dr. Topçu said, "In the last 10 years, the use of sunscreens has increased significantly, both due to intensive information provided by dermatology associations and the support of the media on this issue. Over the last 10 years, we have begun to see that sunscreens, which we once considered a cosmetic or luxury item, are being used more intensively in our daily lives. Now, people have even started asking those who don't use them, 'Don't you use sunscreen?' This perception is a good thing. Because the sun has side effects as well as its positive effects. The fact that ultraviolet rays reach human skin more, the increase in certain diseases over time, the use of cosmetics, the increase in medication use, or perhaps even the slight extension of life expectancy actually increases our sensitivity to the sun a little more and forces us to use more sunscreen. However, there is something here. I want to draw attention to a few issues. Our perspective should be as follows: sunscreens are no longer a luxury or a cosmetic. Because we, as dermatologists, use them as treatment support. There are some diseases affected by the sun. On one hand, there are pigmentation diseases. There are acne scars. We now use sunscreens both for protection from the sun and as support for treatment. Sunscreens are no longer just products we use for protection from the sun, but also as treatment support," she said.

''WE ARE MOVING THEM AWAY FROM COSMETIC STATUS AND TOWARD PHARMACEUTICAL STATUS''

Stating that sunscreen products have begun to be used not just as cosmetics but also for treatment support for patients, Topçu said, "The point we want to draw attention to is this: if a product has started to be used for treatment support, then its efficacy, potential, strength, support for treatment, and whether we can get what we want from this product become more important. We are moving them away from cosmetic status and toward pharmaceutical status. In that case, where we buy it from, which product we use, and as I said a moment ago, the fact that its ingredients have been inspected, carries great importance. Because when sunscreen products start to be used intensively, the perception in the market also begins to change. Everyone starts using every product they can reach. Whether we are using the right product, whether we can choose the right product, has started to become an important handicap for us. If we are going to use a sunscreen or an ultraviolet-blocking product, its content is definitely important to us. Is a chemical filter being used? Is a physical filter being used? Is the amount of the product mentioned inside really the correct amount? Or does it have as much efficacy as we think? All of these are important to us. So, how can we understand this? The way to understand this is to be able to obtain them from channels we trust. Otherwise, when I buy a product, it is not very easy to understand whether this product is original or fake. When we obtain them from areas we trust, from pharmacies, from health institutions, we are doing the maximum we can as a user. The rest is, of course, related to the inspection of official institutions and relevant areas. What we can do is to obtain them from pharmacies and health institutions as much as possible to understand whether a product is fake or not," she said.

''THE FDA REMOVED CHEMICAL SUNSCREENS FROM THE PRODUCTION STAGE ON THE GROUNDS THAT THEY COULD BE CARCINOGENIC''

Stating that the FDA has removed some chemical sunscreen products from the production stage on the grounds that they could be carcinogenic, Topçu said, "What the active ingredient in the product we buy is, is also important. We use different products in infancy. We use different products at older ages. Whether there are chemicals in a product is important. Whether there are physical users is important. The FDA removed a number of chemical sunscreen products from the production stage. They say these could be carcinogenic and cause harm instead of benefit. For this reason, our perspective should be like this. If we want there to be something proper inside, we recommend that it contains either zinc oxide or titanium oxide. There is a handicap to this; these are products that look whiter and show that we are using sunscreen on the skin. But then we have to do a cost-benefit analysis. That is, accepting that using a chemical product might have some side effects, perhaps accepting that it might have harms, or on the other hand, using a physical product barrier and accepting that it might be less visible and less acceptable cosmetically, but could be full support," she said.

News Source: İHA