“It is worrying to see pseudo-experts encouraging the population to abandon sun protection,” the president of the Ordre des chimistes says.
Don’t be influenced out of using sunscreen, Quebec’s Ordre des chimistes warned the public in a statement this week.
The provincial order was referencing what it described as a worrying trend of influencers spreading “false and misleading information” about sunscreen on social media, including that some of its ingredients are harmful to the skin.
“These assertions, devoid of scientific basis, can endanger public health,” the order said.
President Michel Alsayegh added scientific research demonstrates both the effectiveness and safety of sunscreen when the product is used as directed.
“It is worrying to see pseudo-experts encouraging the population to abandon sun protection, thereby increasing the risks of skin cancer and other damage caused by UV rays,” he said in the statement.
Nancy Wirtz, the manager of cancer prevention at the Canadian Cancer Society, says it’s estimated 11,300 Canadians will be diagnosed with melanoma in 2024, about 1,300 of whom will die.
“It’s the most common cancer, but it’s also highly preventable by following some pretty simple habits,” she said. “Using sunscreen, wearing wide-brimmed hats to cover your face, ears and neck, using sunglasses to protect your eyes, covering up with long-sleeved clothing or long pants when appropriate and staying in the shade are all fairly easy things that we can do to protect our skin.”
“I really want to make sure that I’m aware of what people are being told,” he said. “I’m seeing video after video. … It’s a little bit scary, the amount of misinformation that’s being propagated in the sense that it’s kind of … taking the wrong information, and misinterpreting it, and coming up with the false or wrong conclusion.”
As an example, Powell said some people question the need for sunscreen now when humans didn’t wear it several decades ago and supposedly never developed skin cancer.
“There’s a full slew of reasons why we’re dealing with something completely different now,” Powell said. “People are living much longer than they did 100 or 200 or 300 years ago. So whereas we know that skin cancers develop much later on in life and people are living longer now, we’re diagnosing skin cancer much more frequently. Plus, we know that the environmental pollutants, the ozone layer getting thinner, the sun overall getting more potent, we’re more outdoors — we’re more susceptible to developing skin cancer.”
Powell sees patients of all ages on a daily basis, but said he encounters many over the age of 50 who say they weren’t aware of the importance of sunscreen decades ago and are now dealing with all kinds of skin complications as a result.
“Sun spots or fine lines, wrinkles and, even more frequently, pre-skin cancers or skin cancers or, you know, just lesions that are caused by the sun,” Powell said. “We have these conversations on a regular basis. I speak to these patients and they almost presume that the newer, younger generations are taking better care of their skin. … That’s not always the case, and they’re flabbergasted.”
Research shows early childhood exposure to UV rays is a significant contributing factor to developing skin cancer later in life, Wirtz said, “so even one sunburn during childhood can increase your risk.”
“We feel it’s really important to build these habits and this knowledge in children so they can develop those habits as early as possible, and also to inform the parents and have them model that behaviour,” Wirtz said.
She added the Canadian Cancer Society is aware of occasional comments about sunscreen being unsafe and called them concerning, but said it’s also a good opportunity to remind people about the product’s importance — and how to use it properly.
“A lot of people just apply it once and call it a day,” Wirtz said. “But you need to reapply every two hours; make sure that you’re using a generous amount to cover all of your skin appropriately; look for SPF 30 or higher, as well as broad spectrum so it protects against both UVA and UVB rays; you may want to look for something that’s water-resistant; and be sure to check the expiry date, because they do have one.”
In its statement, the Ordre des chimistes urged the public to reject fear-based narratives and misinformation about sunscreen and instead consult recognized sources for information, including health professionals and scientific institutions.
This isn’t the first time a professional order has urged the public to be wary about information shared by influencers. Earlier this year, four Quebec orders issued a joint warning to both their members and the public to be skeptical of a growing trend of intravenous vitamin therapy, citing a lack of data proving that such treatments are beneficial to those who don’t specifically have vitamin deficiencies.
In the statement about sunscreen this week, Alsayegh said its essential for influencers to consider the reach of their messages.
“Sharing unverified information can have significant consequences for public health,” he said. The order calls for responsible use of social media platforms and encourages influencers to obtain information from reliable scientific sources before disseminating opinions on health subjects for which they have no qualifications.”
Powell is reminding the public the time to protect your skin is now.
“Skin cancer might not happen right now, it usually happens a little later in life with cumulative sun damage,” he said. “So if we’re not protecting our skin now, in 10, 15, 20 years … we don’t tend to think about it, but that’s when the problem happens.”