The Asterisk

In early July, a media blast regarding the safety of spray sunscreens was disseminated. Consumer Reports commented on a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigation of sunscreen in the spray vehicle, stating that consumers should not apply them on children until the safety of these agents is determined by an ongoing FDA analysis. The focus of FDA concern is the inhalation of nanoparticles in these products, particularly those containing titanium dioxide. The report also provided instructions for safe application of spray sunscreen in adults, such as avoiding the face and applying evenly for best results.

What’s the issue?

I read this consumer article with great interest and attention. I not only use spray sunscreen on my toddler and myself, but I also often recommend it to patients who despise the feel and inconvenience of cream-based sunscreens. Also, the ability to independently reach areas such as the mid-back provides ease of application in the spray form. That being said, I do note that these sunscreens should not be used on the face and should be applied outdoors to reduce inhalation. The age of nanomedicine provides an unknown risk, given the potential of new and more invasive chemical exposure. However, the aggressiveness with which this report was disseminated through the press was not well founded.

The FDA started this investigation in 2011, which was disclosed by Consumer Reports using a tiny asterisk in the July 2014 report. The FDA has not made any statements for or against spray sunscreens except to say that consumers should avoid open flames during application. In fact, the American Academy of Dermatology’s educational page on sunscreen has acknowledged the unknown risk of spray sunscreens since 2011. Given that this consumer “update,” which did not provide any new information, was released by the press in the throes of the summer sun, it has bolstered patient doubts about what dermatologists recommend regarding sunscreen and its safety. Do you use or recommend spray sunscreens? How do you feel about the manner in which the popular media depicts sunscreens in recent years?

We want to know your views! Tell us what you think.

Reader Comments

I usually ask our patients to apply sprays outside and directed so the spray is dispersed downwind if possible. This at the beach or golf course. I also ask them to hold their breaths to not inhale the mist. I still however ask to use a cream or lotion at home and use the sprays as a secondary application.

--Michael A. Scannon, MD

Darrel Rigel showed several years ago that most people use one quarter to one third the proper amount of sunscreen needed to attain the SPF on the label. Sprays encourage using even less. In a use test I performed for a sunscreen company several years ago, our subjects had white round patches of unburned skin among their sunburns. Uniform coverage is difficult to achieve.
--Christopher G. Nelson, MD