NBC DateLine Interview

A GOLDEN GLOW was the ideal in the 1960s and still today, many people worship the sun. In south Florida, the Kholos family even has their own ìTan Commandments.î Rule number one: ìIf we donít have sunscreen on, we canít go to the beach,î say the Kholos children.
       ìWe go through a lot of sunscreen,î says their mother, Cheryl Kholos. ìWe have different sizes, we have different colors, we have different strengths.î
       For mom, layering on the lotion is a ritual. ìYouíre protecting against the wrinkles, the sunburn and the skin cancer,î she says.
       But are they really protected? Are they and millions of Americans putting too much faith in a bottle of sunscreen?
       ìPutting a sunscreen on isnít a shield of armor against every possible assault on the skin,î says Dr. Frank Gasparro, a research professor in dermatology at Thomas Jefferson University who has been studying the effects of sunscreens for 13 years.
       He says they can keep you from getting a sunburn.
       But do they keep you from getting cancer?
       ìThatís another story,î says Dr. Gasparro.
       In fact, as sunscreen sales are skyrocketing, the rates of melanoma, the most lethal skin cancer, are also soaring. And that raises a troubling question: is it possible that sunscreens are giving a false sense of security?
       ìI think so,î says Dr. Gasparro. ìIf youíre out in the sun for a long time, thereís a tremendous amount of solar energy pouring into your skin.î
Exactly what happens to that energy is the big scientific mystery. Thereís nothing dangerous about sunscreen itself. And thereís no question it prevents sunburn, wrinkles and the non-lethal skin cancers ó the higher the SPF number, the better. But Dr. Gasparro is one of many leading scientists who worry that even the strongest sunscreen may not be protecting people against the deadliest skin cancer.
       Is there any evidence at all that sunscreens protect you against melanoma?
       ìNot that I know of,î says Dr. Gasparro. ìNo evidence.î
But there is preliminary evidence that piling on the sunscreen might actually put you at higher risk by letting you spend more time outdoors. A study published in a prominent cancer research journal found that children who wore sunscreens developed more moles, potential precursors to skin cancer, than children who didnít wear sunscreen at all.
       ìWhat this suggests to me is that those sunscreens were very good at preventing sunburn,î says Dr, Gasparro, ìallowed the children to be out in the sun, getting a bigger dose of light.î
       While a lot of cancer experts agree, Gasparroís conclusions invoke the rage of many skin doctors, dermatologists, who have been hailing the virtues of sunscreens for years.
       While sunscreen use has gone way up melanoma rates have gone up as well. Whatís the explaination?
       ìThatís a simple one because there is a ten to twenty year delay shown by many people from the time you do the damage in the sun to until you see the melanomas coming out,î says Dr. Darrell Rigel, president of the American Academy of Dermatology. What weíre seeing right now is what people did in the 1970s and 1980s before there were good sunscreens.î
       Dr. Rigel says todayís high-intensity sunscreens, designed to block out two kinds of ultraviolet radiation, can significantly reduce the risks of all types of skin cancer. And he predicts that melanoma rates will start to decline in the next few years.
       So do experts know at this point whether sunscreens protect against melanoma or possibly make the risk worse?
       ìI think thereís circumstantial data out there to show that sunscreens do protect against melanoma and lower risk,î says Dr. Rigel, ìbut until we have long-term studies on people that have used the new high-intensity sunscreens, we canít answer that question.î
       Until that question is answered, some sunscreens are carrying a warning label that even with proper use: ìUV exposure can still lead to skin cancer.î Even Dr. Rigel believes that people should not put all their trust in a tube of cream.
       ìThe best way to protect yourself is wear protective clothing, avoid the sunís rays when theyíre the strongest in the middle of the day, and use sunscreen,î he says.
       The experts agree that such a combination is essential especially for people most susceptible to skin cancer, the fair-skinned and light-eyed.
       As for the Kholos family? Theyíve added another commandment: number two is donít stay out in the sun for too long.
       Just last month, the Food and Drug Administration finalized new regulations for over the counter sunscreens. Products will have to stop using terms that may be confusing or misleading such as sunblock, waterproof and all day protection. And you wonít see sunscreens with numbers like 45 SPF. The highest category will be 30 plus.