Don't let lawsuits turn you off sunscreen

Victoria Clayton • E-mail

In families such as the Parker household in Agoura Hills, Calif., there’s one item that’s become as much a summer staple as popsicles: sunscreen. Destinee Kerr Parker, like other self-respecting parents across America, doesn’t allow her 2-year-old son Kekoa to go near sand, water or playground without at least a quick swipe of something with SPF.

“It’s sometimes difficult to get sunscreen on kids,” says Parker. “But I just view it as something we can’t live without. The pool and parks are right down the street and the beach is 20 minutes away. We’re getting sun literally every day."

Yet, Parker, who regularly has three or four different sunscreens labeled “waterproof” and “UVA/UVB block,” has also noticed something interesting about her arsenal.

“Some seem to work better than others but none of them work like you might think. We’ll be in the pool for an hour and get out and I see that Kekoa has a tan line. If they were working like they say they do, that wouldn’t be happening,” she says.

Parker is, in fact, echoing the complaints found in some recent lawsuits against several major sunscreen manufacturers. The suits, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court in April, allege that the companies have falsely led parents to believe certain sunscreens provide broad-spectrum, waterproof protection for their children when they don’t.

So what’s the truth? Is it worth the trouble to slather kids with sunscreen or should we just throw in the towel this summer?

Dermatologists are unanimous: don’t let the suits convince you to ditch sunscreens.

“Sunscreens are still good, but what we know is that there isn’t a perfect sunscreen. That doesn’t mean, though, that the sunscreens don’t block the majority of the harmful rays,” says Dr. Mark G. Rubin, an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at the University of California, San Diego.

Sun protection How to protect kids from sun — Stay out of the sun during its brightest hours, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. — Apply an SPF 30 or higher sunscreen evenly to all uncovered skin 30 minutes before going outside. — Use at least an ounce on all exposed skin. — Remember to apply sunscreen to eyelids, lips, nose, ears, neck, hands and feet. — If young children don't have much hair, apply sunscreen to the tops of their heads and/or have them wear a hat. — Reapply sunscreen at least every two hours and always after swimming or perspiring. — Urge kids to wear sunglasses, protective clothing and a wide-brimmed hat to protect eyes, head and face.

“Sunscreens, when used properly, definitely work,” says Dr. Chris Harmon, a spokesperson for the American Academy of Dermatology and a dermatologist in Birmingham, Ala.

At issue in the lawsuits is how the products are labeled and, ultimately, used by parents such as Parker.

Manufacturers often claim their products are waterproof, for example. “We know that no sunscreen is really waterproof,” says Harmon. At best, a sunscreen can be water-resistant.

Rubin agrees. “There’s good data to say that sunscreens (labeled waterproof) are effective immersed for an hour or even an hour and a half but nobody is just immersed when swimming — especially not kids. They’re flailing, agitating and splashing.”

Dermatologists say the solution is to reapply sunscreen a minimum of every two hours, no matter what the label says, and always after kids sweat, swim or towel off.

How much to use
How much sunscreen you put on your kid will also determine how protective it is. Sunscreens are tested and rated with Sun Protection Factors (SPFs) based on optimal use. Yet skin care pros admit very few consumers use the products the way they are tested.

“It’s sort of like tires,” explains Dr. Zoe Draelos, a dermatologist in Highpoint, N.C., and clinical associate professor of dermatology at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem. “A tire may be rated for 40,000 miles but because of the way we drive we never get that many miles. Products — all products ­— are rated under ideal conditions but they’re rarely used this way. I don’t think companies can somehow be held responsible for insuring how consumers use their products, though.”

Draelos notes that if manufacturers were held responsible for how consumers use or misuse their products, it would be “lawsuit city against corporate America.”

She says that if parents apply sunscreen to their children 30 minutes before going out, put it on on thick enough, reapply every two hours and don’t wipe it off, they’ll get “good protection.”

A rule of thumb is that at least 1 ounce of sunscreen should be used to cover the body with each application (that’s roughly one shotglassful of sunscreen).

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