Senescence and sunscreens.

The most reliable way to reduce the chronic effects of solar UV radiation is to limit exposure. Animal data using hairless albino mice suggest that the routine use of sunscreens, which usually act as UVB (280-315 nm) filters, may prevent or inhibit skin photocarcinogenesis and photoageing in man. Conditions of chronic use of sunscreens in human skin, however, are not established but it is possible that, under some circumstances, sunscreen use could enhance skin cancer risk. The use of sunscreens may prevent or inhibit both sun-induced cancers and photoageing, but as yet there is no established method of designating the efficacies of sunscreens for the prevention of the chronic effects of solar UV radiation. This is an important research objective.