Angel and Kendra both know the dangers of too much sun.
Angel is 30 years old and had a small skin cancer removed from her face.
Kendra is 22, had a mole on her leg which was melanoma, a deadly form of skin cancer.
"You want to have the healthy glow," Kendra said. "I was more concerned about getting tan than getting cancer."
"People assume it's going to be grandparents who get skin cancer," said Dr. Jennifer Linder, a dermatologist and cancer surgeon.
Linder, who is behind a skin care line and on a mission about sunscreens, treated both women.
Linder said even the sun's UVA rays can be dangerous, many sunscreens are allowed to claim UVA protection when there may be very little.
She blames the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The FDA proposed a label showing the level of UVA protection in each bottle, but years later it still hasn't been implemented.
"This is something that is going to make a huge difference in people's lives and they're dragging their feet," Linder said.
FDA spokesperson Rita Chappelle said, "The FDA had proposed rules on UVA but those rules were stayed because the technology had not caught up to the science and there was not universal agreement. Additionally, there were not standardized tests to measure the level of protection."
The FDA now has new rules proposed which it expects to be finalized in September, with sunscreen manufacturer compliance within 18 months.
"Until that happens, it is the consumer's responsibility to turn over the bottle and look at the ingredient list," Linder said.
For full UVA protection, Linder said consumers should look for avobenzone, mexoryl, titanium dioxide, or zinc oxide.
Kendra's melanoma has not resurfaced, but she uses it and her age as a warning to others.
"...I'm used to the sun, I'm healthy, I'm young, but it did happen to me," she said.
Dr. Linder says buying a sunscreen with an SPF of more than 30 is a waste of money. She says higher SPF values only provide incremental benefits. Independent of the sunscreen you use or the SPF level, you should reapply sunscreen every two hours.
Images of melanoma.
FDA statement on sunscreens/UVA:
The agency currently has rules governing UVB rays and has allowed products that demonstrated that they provided protection against UVA rays to label their products as 'broad spectrum.' When new rules are issued, companies will have to demonstrate the level of protection and have that level rated on the labels for UVB and UVA rays.
"The FDA proposed new regulations for sunscreen products in 2007 and received over 3,000 comments from the American public on those proposed new rules. The agency has incorporated comments from the public and made revisions to the proposed new sunscreen regulations and is in the process of finalizing the new sunscreen regulations. We plan to have a final rule this September.
"When the final rule is issued, manufacturers will have up to 18 months to comply with the new regulations or face enforcement action by the agency.
"The FDA had proposed new rules on UVA but those rules were stayed because the technology had not caught up to the science and there was not universal agreement. Additionally, there were not standardized tests to measure the level of protection. So until the technology was in place, the rules we had proposed were then subsequently stayed. Now, the science and testing modalities are in place. new rules were proposed and should be finalized in September.
"As a part of our rulemaking process for OTC drug products, we must go through rulemaking, which includes holding public meetings on the topic, drafting a proposed rule, putting that out to public comment, reviewing all the comments, revising the proposed rule based on the preponderance of public comment, writing and finalizing a proposed rule (which has to go through other governmental agencies beyond the FDA). Changing a monograph or rule takes several years due to the number of regulatory steps we are required to follow as a federal agency to change a rule for a nonprescripture product.
"The FDA is moving as expeditiously as possible. Please know that it is a priority for us here. These rules impact us all and all our families."
-Rita Chappelle, U.S. Food and Drug Administration spokesperson
