Equal Protection

The American Academy of Dermatologists, which had consistently scoffed at the notion that sunscreens possibly increased skin cancer, now recommends use of sunscreens providing UV-A protection, as does the American Society of Clinical Pathologists.

Only a few commercial sunscreens protect against UV-A. The most effective ones contain the chemical Parsol 1789, which screens out most of the UV-A spectrum. A check of local drugstores showed that of more than 30 sunscreens on the shelves, only two--Photoplex and ShadeUVAGUARD--contain Parsol 1789.

Another five contain oxybenzone, which provides some UV-A protection, but not as much as Parsol 1789. Those are: PreSun, Coppertone Sport, Almay, Shade and Banana Boat.

So-called “chemical-free” sunscreens also protect against UV-A because they use a finely ground mineral called titanium oxide that blocks the passage of all light. Until recently, titanium oxide was available only in opaque products that, like zinc oxide, covered the skin with a white or colored salve. Newer types have a much more finely divided form of the mineral and cannot be seen as easily.