Why Wear Sunscreen?

​The U.S. government has officially identified ultraviolet radiation (UVR), both from the sun and from tanning machines, as a known cause of cancer in humans. UVR causes DNA damage that may lead to mutations (abnormalities) in genes associated with the development of skin cancer. Therefore, along with other sun safety strategies, sunscreen that absorbs or blocks UVR serves an important protective function. 

Here are some facts to consider:

• More people are diagnosed with skin cancer each year in the U.S. than all other cancers combined.
• One in five Americans will develop skin cancer by the age of 70.
• About 90 percent of nonmelanoma skin cancers are associated with exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun.
• Regular daily use of an SPF 15 or higher sunscreen reduces the risk of developing squamous cell carcinoma by about 40 percent.

• In the past decade (2008 – 2018) the number of new melanoma cases diagnosed annually has increased by 53 percent.
• One person dies of melanoma every hour.

• An estimated 9,320 people will die of melanoma in the U.S. in 2018: of those, 5,990 will be men and 3,330 will be women.
• Regular daily use of an SPF 15 or higher sunscreen reduces the risk of developing melanoma by 50 percent.

Photoaging, or UV-induced skin aging, is another long-term result of sun exposure. While not threatening to life, it is threatening to quality of life. Excessive unprotected time in the sun leads to premature wrinkling, sagging, a leathery texture and hyperpigmentation (so-called “aging spots” or “liver spots” which are in reality the result of sun damage).

An estimated 90 percent of skin aging is caused by the sun. ​Sun damage is cumulative. Only about 23 percent of lifetime exposure occurs by age 18. People who use sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher daily show 24 percent less skin aging than those who do not use sunscreen daily.