Sun Shades™ Sun Protection Research Report

There are two types of ultraviolet rays that result in two different effects on the skin. UVA rays penetrate the skin deeply to damage the collagen and can result in leathery skin, sagging skin, premature wrinkles and other effects of photoaging (premature aging caused by the sun). Think of UVA as the "aging ray." UVB rays have a shorter wavelength and cause sunburns. Think of UVB as the "burning ray."1 But sunburns and photoaging are not the only effects you need to take precautions against. UV radiation from the sun is the number one cause of skin cancer, and don't forget that tanning beds produce UV rays that are just as harmful.2

Blistering sunburns in childhood increase the liklihood of developing skin cancer much later in life. Risk factors for skin cancer include having fair skin and blue or green eyes, and red or blonde hair.3 Another risk factor is having more than 100 moles on the skin. Moles are different from freckles, in that they are typically raised from the surface of the skin. Moles that are asymmetrical, with more than one color, or with cauliflower-like edges, or that have changed over time, are extreme warning signs that warrant an immediate trip to the dermatologist.4 Darker skinned people may still get skin cancer, but their risk factor is much lower.

According to the American Cancer Society, children under the age of six months should have NO direct sun exposure, nor should sunscreen/sunblock be applied to their skin. So keep babies in the shade of a covered stroller if you must take them in the sun.

If you wonder why the American Cancer Society instructs the public to wear sunscreen even on a cloudy day, it's not an attempt to boost the sunscreen industry's sales, it's to help protect your skin from the photoaging and carcinogenic effects of UVA rays, which you can't feel like you can feel a sunburn from UVB. Radiation from UVA reaches the skin all year long, and more evenly throughout the day than UVB, which peaks in intensity between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm. Your skin could even be damaged by UVA radiation on a cloudy day because 80% of the sun's UV rays reach the earth when it's cloudy. 5, 6

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States, accounting for more than half of all the cancers diagnosed, with more than 1 million non-melanoma skin cancers diagnosed annually. It's likely that there will be over 62,000 new cases of melanoma skin cancer (the most serious form) and about 10,000 skin cancer deaths this year.7 Since 90 percent of skin cancers are caused by sun exposure, protective sun care is crucial.8

The amount of UV light reaching the earth's surface in any given place depends on a number of factors, including the time of day, time of year, elevation, and cloud cover. To help people better understand the intensity of UV light in their area on a given day, the National Weather Service and the US Environmental Protection Agency have developed the UV Index. It gives people an idea of how strong the UV light is in their area, on a scale from 1 to 11+. A higher number means a higher chance of sunburn, skin damage and ultimately skin cancers of all kinds.9 Look for your country's UV index map below, at reference 9.

1. Sunscreens Explained. Skin Cancer Foundation

2. Cosmetic Procedures: Sun Exposure and Skin Cancer. WebMD: Skin & Beauty.

3. Warning Signs: The ABCDEs of Melanoma. Skin Cancer Foundation. (this page will have photographs of cancerous vs. normal skin moles.)

4. Detailed Guide: Skin Cancer - Melanoma -What Are The Risk Factors for Melanoma? American Cancer Society.

5. Detailed Guide: Skin Cancer - Melanoma-Can Melanoma Be Prevented? American Cancer Society.

6. Protection Against Photoaging, Aging Skin Net, Am. Academy of Dermatology 2005

7. Skin Cancer Facts, American Cancer Society.

8. 2007 Skin Cancer Facts, Skin Cancer Foundation

9. UV Index Maps by country:

• USA: Current UV Index Forecast, NOAA, National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center
• Canada: Year-to-Date Daily Maximum UV Index Graphs The Green Lane TM, Environment Canada.
• Australia: National UV Index Forecast Chart Bureau of Meteorology 2007
• New Zealand: UV&Ozone NIWA Science 2007
• Europe: Europe UV index forecast Met Office

• The main difference between sunscreen and sunblock is that sunscreen chemically absorbs UV rays, while sunblock deflects UV rays.10
  
  
• Broad-spectrum is a phrase that suggests the product can protect from both UVA and UVB rays.
  
  
• SPF (Sun Protection Factor) is an abbreviation that explains how long you can stay in the sun without burning.
  
  
• A higher SPF does not indicate a stronger sunblock!10 If it takes 20 minutes for your unprotected skin to start turning red, using an SPF 15 sunscreen theoretically prevents reddening 15 times longer — about five hours.The problem with how we perceive SPF is that no sunscreen, regardless of its SPF, should be expected to stay effective longer than two hours without reapplication.
  
  
• Whether you're using sunblock or sunscreen, you must reapply it every two hours, and you must apply it liberally. For a day at the beach, when you're wearing a bathing suit, most adults should use one ounce (about one shotglass-full) to cover exposed skin. Remember, skin doesn't necessarily turn red when there is UVA damage, and that's why directions state to reapply frequently.

10. SPF, UVB and UVA Protection Explained, Charles H. Booras, MD, FAAFP, Listed in "The Best Doctors in America", 2001 and 2002

Microfine Zinc Oxide

Melaleuca's sunblock uses microfine zinc oxide, a natural mineral, to block out both UVA and UVB rays. There are only three broad-spectrum sunblock ingredients available: zinc oxide (mineral), titanium dioxide (mineral), and avobenzone (chemical). Dermatologists at Duke University Medical Center have found that microfine zinc oxide is a more effective sunscreen than microfine titanium dioxide.11 It has been found to be stable, and it doesn't change in composition when exposed to the sun, or combined with other sunscreen agents.12

There has been some speculation over whether micronized minerals are actually absorbed into the skin. One team of scientists concluded that "our investigations using optical and electron microscopy proved that neither surface characteristics, particle size nor shape of the micronized pigments (like zinc oxide) result in any dermal absorption of this substance."13

Avobenzone

Since the two types of ultraviolet rays have different wavelengths, several different ingredients are necessary in sunscreens to protect the skin from both, while the broad-spectrum zinc oxide in the sunblock can protect from both.14 Melaleuca's sunscreen Sun Shades Sport 45+ contains avobenzone, mentioned above, and three other sunscreen ingredients, to best cover the spectrum of the sun's radiation. The salicylates homosalate and octisalate provide protection from UVB radiation, and the benzophenone oxybenzone protects against UVA, while avobenzone provides protection from UVA and UVB (that's why it's called a broad-spectrum sunscreen).10

11. Pinnell SR, Fairhurst D, Gillies R, Mitchnick MA, Kollias N, "Microfine zinc oxide is a superior sunscreen ingredient to microfine titanium dioxide." Division of Dermatology, Duke University Medical Center

12. Mitchnick MA, Fairhurst D, Pinnell SR. Microfine zinc oxide (Z-cote) as a photostable UVA/UVB sunblock agent. J Am Acad Dermatol. 1999 Jan;40(1):85-90.

13. Schulz J, Hohenberg H, et. al.Distribution of sunscreens on skin. Adv Drug Deliv Rev. 2002 Nov 1;54 Suppl 1:S157-63

14. Cayrol C, Sarraute J, et. al., A mineral sunscreen affords genomic protection against ultraviolet (UV) B and UVA radiation: in vitro and in situ assays.

Studies have shown that when several antioxidants are combined in one skin care product, the benefits to skin are greater, and the photoprotective effect is boosted.17 Both Sun Shades Sunscreen and Sunblock contain vitamins A, C, and E for healing and moisturizing.

In addition, the Sun Shades Mineral Sunblock contains both macadamia oil and kukui nut oil (moluccana seed oil), which work in the skin as an antioxidant to delay the visible signs of aging. Kukui and macadamia nut oils are two cold-pressed oils from Hawaii, minimally refined and have well-documented benefits. The nuts from both trees produce natural, highly unsaturated oils that provide a silky emolliency that is quickly absorbed into the skin, leaving a smooth, nongreasy feeling. In fact, macadamia oil may act to protect cells, particularly those exposed to excessive sunlight. It is the most stable of the cosmetic oils.18

15. PubMed: "Effects of topical and oral vitamin E on pigmentation and skin cancer induced by ultraviolet irradiation in Skh:2 hairless mice."

16. PubMed: "Topical Vitamin E and ultraviolet radiation on human skin."

17. Hanson KM, Clegg RM. Bioconvertible vitamin antioxidants improve sunscreen photoprotection against UV-induced reactive oxygen species.

18. Oils of Aloha

If you do end up with a sunburn because you were caught unprepared, Melaleuca offers Sun Shades After Sun Hydrogel E. This is a very moisturizing and healing balm for the after-effects of a day in the sun.

Besides having the anti-inflammatory and moisturizing benefits of Advanced Vitamin E, the After Sun Hydrogel also combines some very interesting ingredients for advanced healing of burned skin.

Aloe has been used throughout the centuries as a healing agent for burns.19 It is an anti-inflammatory and wound healing ingredient,20 actually working to restore UVB-induced damage to the skin.21

Melaleuca Alternifolia oil also can reduce inflammation on reddened skin.22 Quite interestingly, Melaleuca oil and terpinen-4-ol, the main component in Melaleuca oil, may be able to impair the growth of human M14 melanoma cells, which could help reduce the risk of being diagnosed with melanoma skin cancer.23

19. Mantle D, Gok MA, Lennard TW. Adverse and beneficial effects of plant extracts on skin and skin disorders. Adverse Drug React Toxicol Rev. 2001 Jun;20(2):89-103.

20. Davis RH, Donato JJ, et. al.Anti-inflammatory and wound healing activity of a growth substance in Aloe vera. J Am Podiatr Med Assoc. 1994 Feb;84(2):77-81.

21. Lee CK, Han SS, et.al. Prevention of ultraviolet radiation-induced suppression of contact hypersensitivity by Aloe vera gel components. Int J Immunopharm. 1999 May;21(5):303-10

22. Hart PH, Brand C, et. al. Terpinen-4-ol, the main component of the essential oil of Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree oil), suppresses inflammatory mediator production by activated human monocytes. Inflamm Res. 2000 Nov;49(11):619-26.

23. Calcabrini A, Stringaro A, et. al. Terpinen-4-ol, the main component of Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree) oil inhibits the in vitro growth of human melanoma cells. J Invest Dermatol. 2004 Feb;122(2):349-60.

Green tea possesses anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic properties. One scientist who has reviewed the properties of green tea in several published studies concludes that "supplementation of skin care products with green tea may have a profound impact on various skin disorders in the years to come." 24, 25

Algae may seem like a strange ingredient in a sunburn balm, but it has been shown to lower the extent of cellular damage from UV radiation, and seems a promising substance to help alleviate sunburn damage.26

Grape leaf extract, also written as "vitis vinifera," is another beneficial ingredient for an after-sun lotion. Like green tea extract and algae, it is an antioxidant, having the ability to neutralize free radical oxidation of cells. It has a synergistic effect with vitamin E, meaning that it enables vitamin E to last longer on the skin.27

24. Katiyar SK. Skin photoprotection by green tea: antioxidant and immunomodulatory effects. Curr Drug Targets Immune Endocr Metabol Disord. 2003 Sep;3(3):234-42.

25. Katiyar SK. Green Tea and Skin Arch Dermatol. 2000;136:989-994.Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio.

26. Bulteau AL, Moreau M, et. al. Algae extract-mediated stimulation and protection of proteasome activity within human keratinocytes exposed to UVA and UVB irradiation. Antioxid Redox Signal. 2006 Jan-Feb;8(1-2):136-43.

27. M. Carini, R. Maffei Facino, et. al. The protection of polyunsaturated fatty acids in micellar systems against UVB-induced photo-oxidation by procyanidins from Vitis vinifera L., and the protective synergy with vitamin E. Intl. Journal Cosmetic Science 20 (4), 203-215.

We would love to know what you think about this report. You may contact us with any suggestions or comments about this sun protection report.

Richard Barry and staff member Jessica Alvarez
June 2007

* Sun Shades™ Mineral Sunblock 30+, Sport 45+ Sunscreen, and After Sun Hydrogel E.are registered trademarks of Melaleuca, Inc.