Suncreams don't fully protect against cancer

[Althalus]

LONDON (Reuters) - Sunscreen creams cannot fully protect people against an increasingly common form of skin cancer even when correct amounts are applied, according to a study.

The study published on Monday by scientists at a British medical charity found that the creams fail to stop harmful rays of the sun from penetrating the skin.

Professor Roy Sanders, a consultant plastic surgeon with RAFT, the Restoration of Appearance and Function Trust, said suncreams were much less effective at blocking ultraviolet A (UVA) light, which can cause the skin cancer melanoma, than UVB.

"When ultraviolet A impinges on the skin it triggers the release of highly reactive chemicals called free radicals which we believe can induce a malignant change," he told BBC Radio.

"Since ambient sunlight is principally ultraviolet A and since sunscreens protect mostly against ultraviolet B, if we use the sunscreens it may increase the risk of us developing a rather unpleasant cancer called malignant melanoma," he said.

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