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Has Sunscreen Expired? Here’s How It Works and How Long Does It Last
Can sunscreen expire? Here’s how sunscreen works and what you need to know about expiration dates.
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Has Sunscreen Expired? Here’s How It Works and How Long Does It Last
Can sunscreen expire? Here’s how sunscreen works and what you need to know about expiration dates.
As more and more people are discovering that the old-fashioned way of tanning – in the sun – is dangerous, there is an increasing search for alternative ways to get a summer glow.
Research shows that approximately 9,500 people are diagnosed with skin cancer each day in the U.S. According to the American Academy of Dermatology Association, experts estimate that one in five Americans will be diagnosed with skin cancer at some point in their lives.
Alternatives include spray tans, over-the-counter self-tanning products and tanning beds. But is the latter actually safe?
Before you decide to get a tanning treatment during your summer vacation, read up on which tanning options you should definitely avoid and which are safer, according to dermatologists.
Are tanning beds safe?
“Tanning beds are absolutely not safe. In fact, they are considered a known carcinogen,” dermatologist Lindsey Zubritsky, MD, tells USA TODAY.
Both the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer, one of the world’s leading cancer-promoting organizations, consider tanning beds to be carcinogenic to humans. Like the sun, tanning beds increase the risk of skin cancer due to the use of UV light.
Overexposure to UV rays is responsible for more than 90 percent of skin cancers, according to the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University. One severe sunburn before adulthood doubles your risk of developing skin cancer later in life, and more than five sunburns can double your risk of developing melanoma, a less common but deadlier form of skin cancer.
What is the safest way to tan?
Self-tanning products are the “only safe way to get a tan,” says Zubritsky. She recommends getting a spray tan or buying over-the-counter self-tanners.
While self-tanning products are considered safer than spray tans or natural tans, there have been concerns about dihydroxyacetone (DHA), the ingredient in fake tan products that gives skin a brown pigment. But it is approved by the Food and Drug Administration for topical use, and medical experts say it is unlikely to cause major concerns when applied to the top layer of skin.
Sunbeds for home: useful but dangerous, health experts say
