April 22, 2003 – Daily use of sunscreen significantly reduces the incidence of precancerous skin lesions, Australian researchers say.
The study, conducted from 1992 to 1996 among 1,621 Australians, found that subjects who applied sunscreen daily to the head, neck, arms and hands had 24% less lesions than the control group, who had been asked to use sunscreen as they saw fit.
The presence of these lesions, called solar keratoses, makes an individual three to 12 times more likely to suffer from one of the two most common types of skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma (or epithelioma) and squamous cell carcinoma ( or squamous cell epithelioma).
The researchers also note that the protective effect of the sunscreen would probably have been even more marked if the control group had been asked not to use it at all, rather than to use it sporadically. They also note that their study highlights the importance of using sunscreen every day, not just when the sun is shining.
The study takes on even greater importance as the hot summer days approach and on Earth Day, the thinning of the ozone layer is likely to make headlines.
The sunscreen used during this study was a water repellent formula that had a sun protection factor of 16.
Jean-Benoit Legault – PasseportSanté.net
According to AFP and WebMD, April 21, 2003.
