Response to The Atlantic article, “Against Sunscreen Absolutism”

With summertime approaching for many, all the headlines about sunlight and sunscreen have started to surface. Many of these articles seemingly approach this topic with polarizing views – suggesting the sun is necessary to heal every ailment, sunscreen is toxic, or skin cancer is inevitable unless you continuously reapply sunscreen.

A recent article, Against Sunscreen Absolutism, focuses on the benefits of sun exposure and calls out American experts for not acknowledging this. The article discusses Australia, where there are the world’s highest rates of skin cancer, prompting decades of strict public health warnings against UV exposure. In 2023, Australian public health shifted its stance to advocate for a more balanced approach to acknowledging the benefits of sunlight. This new guidance, highlighting the research on the positive impacts of UV rays, drastically differs from the previous recommendations that emphasized complete avoidance.

While acknowledging that UV rays can cause skin cancer, the consortium now advises that spending ample time outdoors can be beneficial for individuals considered low-risk. It emphasizes the importance of sunlight in regulating circadian rhythms and mood and potentially reducing risks for various diseases. Australia’s guidelines recommend different sun exposure levels based on skin color and cancer risk.

The guidelines focus on recognizing the health benefits of sunlight while maintaining caution to prevent harm from the sun. One of the most important disclaimers included in the article was by a contributor to the guidelines, who clarified, “This is likely to be both harmful and beneficial. We need to know more about this balance.”

All these articles bring forward an important reminder that we are doing our best with the information we have at the time. Currently, we understand that the UV from the sun can be harmful while also understanding the benefits of the sunlight and spending time outside!

So, how can we balance this?

As of now, to answer the question of how much sun exposure is too much? To put it simply – we don’t know that, but it’s important to be cautious about sun exposure. We know it’s important to apply and reapply sunscreen as directed, but it’s unnecessary to be obsessive or panic if you occasionally forget.

Excessive unprotected sun exposure can lead to painful sunburns, eye damage, wrinkles, sun spots, and skin discoloration. Repetitive sun exposure can increase your risk of melanoma, regardless of skin type. It’s also thought that repetitive sunburns in childhood and adolescence increase the risk of melanoma.

When I was younger, I used to tan in the sun – many parents reading this probably did as well, and now, knowing what we know, we wish we wouldn’t have. I wasn’t wearing sunscreen, and now I have dark spots. Living in Florida, sunscreen is a regular part of our routine given we spend a lot of time outdoors. Even if I’m driving; sunscreen is part of my morning skincare regimen. I think it’s important to remember that skin damage is not only skin cancer. These harmful effects can be reduced with sunscreen.

So much of what we do and so much of our health begins in childhood. We want to protect that youthful skin early on and prevent any harm from the sun so we can enjoy the sun and warm weather safely.

What about sunscreen tips and recommendations?

Check out this PedsDocTalk YouTube Video about sunscreen for babies and children, including what to look for in a sunscreen, what is SPF, what broad-spectrum means, the differences between mineral and chemical sunscreens, and applying sunscreen with a demonstration.

When considering sunscreen, look for one that is broad-spectrum since this encompasses protection against UVA and UVB rays. Choose a water-resistant sunscreen if available. Mineral or physical sunscreens are preferred, especially for younger children, these include ingredients like zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide. Listen to this PedsDocTalk Podcast about sunscreen ingredients and formulations, including considerations for babies, mineral vs. chemical sunscreens, oxybenzone, and differences between spray vs. lotion sunscreen.

A few more sunscreen tips:

• Apply sunscreen before going outside (ideally 10 minutes before), and don’t forget to reapply as directed on the packaging!

• Remember, every child’s skin is different. When trialing a new sunscreen, test a small area before applying it everywhere to make sure your child doesn’t have a local reaction.

Looking for a few of my favorite sunscreens? Check out this PedsDocTalk Blog about sunscreen for babies and children for my top recommendations.

On The Podcast

In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, I am continuing this series on ways to take care of our mental health so we can better care for ourselves and our children. It’s common to experience some postpartum blues and adjustment as you navigate having a new baby. But when is it something more?

On this episode, I welcome Chelsea & Caitlin, founders of Mama Psychologists. They are best friends, authors, Registered Psychologists, and moms to discuss:

• The line between normal postpartum adjustment and PPD and PPA

• Postpartum blues

• Signs of postpartum anxiety and postpartum depression

• When to know you need more help and how to get that help

On YouTube

This is the video version of the podcast released on The PedsDocTalk Podcast. India is home to over 1.4 BILLION people and over 470 million children. There are more children in India than our entire population in the U.S. so I needed to have a pediatrician to chat with from India! So I reached out to Dr. Imran Patel who is a Pediatrician in India and one the most followed and loved Pediatricians in the world with over 4.6 million followers on Instagram.

We discuss:

• Whether vaccine hesitancy and anti-vaccine sentiment exist in India

• The cultural differences in approach to sleep and kids

• How he wishes more families would approach feeding solid foods

• What motivates us as colleagues a world apart doing similar work

Ask Dr. Mona

An opportunity for YOU to ask Dr. Mona your parenting questions!

Dr. Mona will answer these questions in a future Sunday Morning Q&A email. Chances are if you have a parenting concern or question, another parent can relate. So let's figure this out together!