Study: Sunscreen prevents skin cancer and slows aging

BRISBANE, Australia, June 4 (UPI) -- For those who spend time in the sun, daily use of sunscreen slows the aging process of skin, along with preventing skin cancer, Australian researchers say.

Professor Adele Green of Queensland Institute of Medical Research, who led colleagues at the University of Queensland's School of Population Health in conducting the study, said they tracked 900 people, half who regularly used SPF15plus sunscreen on their face, arms and hands and the other half who used sunscreen in their usual way, if at all. All were age 55 and younger and part of a larger study.

"This has been one of those beauty tips you often hear quoted, but for the first time we can back it with science: protecting yourself from skin cancer by using sunscreen regularly has the added bonus of keeping you looking younger," Green said in a statement. "And the study has shown that up to middle age, it's not too late to make a difference."

Silicone impressions, or molds, were taken from the backs of all participants' hands at the start and end of the trial to grade the damage over the 4 1/2-year study period.

The study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, found 24 percent less skin aging than those who used sunscreen only some of the time.