COULD YOUR SUNSCREEN CAUSE SKIN CANCER?

I'm not an alarmist and I did careful research research  before I  even considered writing the above headline.  But  if your sunscreen or sunblock  contains Oxybenzone the answer  to the question posed is a resounding yes.
 In 2009, The Environmental Working Group, a public nonprofit health and environmental research and advocacy organization based in Washington DC, studied almost 1000 brand name sunscreens    Three in five did not adequately protect skin from the sun or contained harmful chemicals  Among the most harmful is Oxybenzone. It absorbs ultraviolet light but can also be absorbed through the skin.  Oxybenzone is allowed in sunscreens but recent research has linked it to allergies, hormone disruption and cell damage that can lead to skin cancer.  The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention that did the study in 2008 showed that 97% of the American it tested were contaminated with   Oxybenzone.
So why is it still in use?  Unfortunately the Federal Drug and Food Administration which regulates sunscreen safety has not updated mandatory sunscreen standards in more that 30 years.
The news sent me scurrying to my stockpile of sunscreens.   Sure enough there it was listed as the fifth ingredient on Coppertone Ultra Guard.  Then on a whim I checked  my favorite moisturizer, which I've been using regularly for the past three years, Clinique superdefense Spf 25.  Oxybenzone  was there too, only this time it headed the list.    I also found it in Chanel Precision Hydramax active teinte.

I have four small  dry red spots on my cheek. I've had them for months and no matter what I try nothing  works on them . Now I'm wondering if they could be the result of  Oxybenzone.  I've made an appointment with my dermatologist

Stay tuned.
Cheers,
Barb