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Sunscreen is one of the best ways to protect against skin cancer, but recent surveys find younger Americans doubt its safety and are generally misinformed. Doctors say there's an antisunscreen backlash on social media. NPR's Maria Godoy has the story.
MARIA GODOY, BYLINE: TikTok is full of videos with influencers giving advice on topics like health and skin care. But when it comes to sunscreen, there's also a lot of misinformation, like this video from an influencer.
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UNIDENTIFIED INFLUENCER: Your sunscreen is probably toxic and actually harming your health.
GODOY: She goes on to make dubious claims about how sunscreen can cause cancer and other health problems. Dermatologist Heather Rogers says those kinds of videos are all too common on social media, and they're dangerous.
HEATHER ROGERS: I consider that so harmful - so many big, scary words, so little data, and that's the concerning thing.
GODOY: Rogers says it's particularly concerning because melanoma, the most dangerous type of skin cancer, is one of the most common cancers among young adults. She sees this firsthand among her patients.
ROGERS: I am seeing people definitely in their 20s.
GODOY: What's also troubling is that recent surveys find this age group also seems to be misinformed about sun safety. For example, one survey from the American Academy of Dermatology found 37% of Gen Z says they only use sunscreen when nagged by other people, and 30% falsely believe tanning is safe as long as you don't burn. Rogers says there's no such thing as a safe tan.
ROGERS: Your body tans after there's been DNA damage.
GODOY: She says, when you're exposed to UV light from the sun or a tanning bed, your skin absorbs that light, which causes mutations in your DNA.
ROGERS: And your DNA goes, oh, crap. I'm being injured. Is there anything I can do? And it throws up whatever pigment it has. So by the time you have a tan, you've already experienced DNA mutations.
GODOY: And it's those mutations that can lead to skin cancer and premature aging. A different survey turned up another troubling finding. One in seven adults under age 35 believe using sunscreen daily is more harmful than direct sun exposure. Dr. Raj Nair of the Orlando Health Cancer Institute helped design that survey. He says, while some studies have raised concerns about chemical sunscreens that need to be studied further, there's overwhelming evidence of the benefits of sunscreen.
RAJ NAIR: We know that, with the use of sunscreen, we can reduce the risk of these skin cancers by 40- to 50%.
GODOY: He says, if you are concerned about chemical sunscreens, use mineral sunscreen like zinc oxide. It's a physical barrier to UV rays with a long track record of being safe. But Nair says, please do use sunscreens because, as a surgical oncologist, he's seeing younger patients.
NAIR: With not only skin cancers, but advanced-stage skin cancers. And skin cancers are a type of malignancy that we have really effective prevention strategies for.
GODOY: Strategies like using sunscreen and reapplying it often. He says, even if you don't do it for your health, do it for vanity's sake. After all, sun exposure is the most common cause of wrinkles and premature aging.
Maria Godoy, NPR News.
(SOUNDBITE OF THE BEATLES SONG, "HERE COMES THE SUN")
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