What Gen Z gets wrong about sunscreen

UNITED STATES – Two new surveys suggest a troubling trend: Young adults seem to be slacking on sun safety.

In an online survey of more than 1,000 people published in May by the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), 28 per cent of 18- to 26-year-olds said they did not believe suntans caused skin cancer. And 37 per cent said they wore sunscreen only when others nagged them about it.

In another poll, published in May by Orlando Health Cancer Institute, 14 per cent of adults younger than 35 believed the myth that wearing sunscreen every day is more harmful than direct sun exposure.

While the surveys are too small to capture the behaviours of all young adults, doctors said they have noticed these knowledge gaps and riskier behaviours anecdotally among their younger patients too.

To some extent, experts said, this issue is not unique to the current generation of young adults.

“There’s a component of young people just being young people,” said Dr Melissa Shive, a dermatologist at UCI Health in Irvine, California.

One survey conducted between 1986 and 1996 found that then-18- to 24-year-olds – who are now middle-aged – were more likely than older adults to visit tanning booths and get sunburns.

Young adults are often unaware of what sun damage looks like and how best to prevent it, Dr Shive said. She said she recently saw a young patient who did not know tan skin and freckles were signs of sun damage.

Dr Heather Rogers, a clinical assistant professor of dermatology at the University of Washington, said more of her young patients now report visiting tanning beds. Ultraviolet (UV) rays – whether from tanning beds or direct sunlight – can damage skin and cause skin cancer, which can be deadly.

Older adults who participated in the recent surveys did not have perfect sun safety knowledge either. Of the millennials surveyed by AAD, 17 per cent did not know tanning caused skin cancer, for instance.

But on the whole, younger adults – most of whom fell into Gen Z, meaning they were born after 1997 – were more likely to report believing sun safety myths.

Experts said that Gen Z is uniquely susceptible to misinformation about sunscreen and skin cancer that has proliferated on social media platforms such as TikTok.

They pointed to posts from influencers who claim incorrectly that sunscreen can cause cancer, or from celebrities who claim that they do not use sunscreen because it interferes with vitamin D absorption. Years of scientific evidence support sunscreen’s benefits in preventing skin cancer, Dr Shive said.

“The problem with social media is that nobody’s fact-checking what’s out there,” said Dr Ida Orengo, chair of the dermatology department at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

“It can help get information out there about preventing skin cancer, but it can also do the exact opposite and make things worse.”

The Orlando Health poll found nearly one-quarter of respondents younger than 35 believed that staying hydrated prevents sunburn. There is no evidence that it can do so.

In the AAD survey, more than one-quarter of people aged 18 to 26 believed getting a base tan could prevent skin cancer, even though any tan damages skin cells, Dr Rogers said.

How should young people protect their skin? Most sun safety recommendations are the same for people of all ages, Dr Shive said.

And anyone can get sunburns and skin cancer, so the advice applies regardless of skin colour, said Dr Meredithe McNamara, an assistant professor of paediatrics specialising in adolescent medicine at the Yale School of Medicine.

1. Seek out shade

If you will be in the sun for an extended period, Dr Rogers recommended an umbrella. Shade is most important between roughly 10am and 4pm, when the sun is most intense, Dr Orengo said.

2. Wear sun-protective clothing 

Long sleeves and pants help protect your skin, especially if they are made of materials with an UV-protection factor, or UPF, rating, Dr Shive said. Wide-brimmed hats are a good idea too.

3. Generously apply – and reapply – sunscreen

UV rays can damage skin even when it is cloudy or chilly, so experts recommend wearing sunscreen every day. The ideal sunscreen is at least SPF 30 and is labelled “broad spectrum”, Dr Rogers said. This means it blocks both types of UV rays, UVA and UVB.

Apply sunscreen every morning before leaving home. If you are outside, Dr Shive said you should reapply it every two hours, or more often if you are sweating or swimming.

4. Check your skin

Primary-care doctors or dermatologists can examine a patient’s skin during annual check-ups, Dr McNamara said. But if you spot an unusual mole – one that is asymmetrical, has an uneven border or unusual colour or is changing rapidly – Dr Orengo suggested seeing a dermatologist right away.

Think of skin protection as a retirement fund. Dr Clara Curiel-Lewandrowski, a dermatologist at the University of Arizona Cancer Center, offered one Gen Z-specific tip: Approach sun protection like “an investment in your future health”.

The more you shield your skin when you are young, the better protected you will be against skin cancer, and against the wrinkles and spots that come from sun exposure later in life. NYTIMES