Los Angeles is heating up, but not in a good way. This past week, Los Angeles experienced a record breaking heat wave, which caused rolling blackouts. The sudden spike in temperature means that it is more important than ever to apply sunscreen religiously to prevent premature aging and skin cancer.
Unfortunately for Angelenos, the world’s most effective sunscreen ingredient, Mexoryl, is banned by the FDA and is unavailable for purchase in the US. Mexoryl blocks out Ultraviolet A radiation, which causes premature aging of the skin. Mexoryl is used in virtually all sunscreens sold in Europe, Asia, and South America.
So why is the US lagging behind when it comes to sun protection?
Typically, it takes the FDA 12-15 years to approve new drugs. The FDA has become even more stringent during the past several years because of the negative press generated by the Vioxx scandal. Although the FDA claims that it has banned Mexoryl to protect American consumers, many have speculated that the FDA is simply trying to protect itself against bad press.
Although sunscreens that contain Mexoryl are banned in the US, consumers can still get them on the black market. According to a recent article on ABCNews.com, many pharmacies keep sunscreens containing Mexoryl under their counters and sell them like hot cakes to eager American consumers. It seems like the FDA has driven American consumers to commit illegal acts in order to protect their skin.
Posted by Maryam Zarkesh on July 28, 2006 1:57 PM
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