Have you heard of sunscreen pills? There are lots of companies selling supplements they claim can protect your skin from sun damage from UV rays. And if that sounds too good to be true, that’s because it is and the FDA has issued a statement warning the public not to use these sunscreen pills because they don’t work and can be dangerous.
In a new statement, the FDA doesn’t hold back and basically calls B.S. on sunscreen pills. “These companies are putting people’s health at risk by giving consumers a false sense of security that a dietary supplement could prevent sunburn, reduce early skin aging caused by the sun, or protect from the risks of skin cancer,” the statement reads.
The thing is, there are no rules about what constitutes a sunscreen pill. Companies just throw something together and claim it protects as well as regular sunscreen and people want to believe it. But sun protection doesn’t work from the inside out.
"Most sunscreens contain physical and/or chemical UV blockers that absorb the sun's harmful rays and protect the skin from DNA damage and premature aging," says Dr. Gary Goldenberg, an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. “You just can't get that in pill form.”
So listen to the FDA and wear regular sunscreen, don’t think you can pop a pill and get the same coverage. It’s messy and a pain, but it beats skin cancer and sunburns.
Source: Women's Health