Sunscreen Ratings: Burning Controversy!

The US Food and Drug Administration has proposed new controversial “truth in labeling” requirements for sunscreen that are intended to give consumers clearer and more complete information on which products offered the best protection against cancer-causing ultraviolet rays. Under the new system, sunscreen lotions will be rated on how well they protect against two types of ultraviolet radiation. This is a major consumer story, and the first change in sunscreen recommendations in more than 30 years. One of the nation’s biggest makers of sunscreen helps educates us about this important change. David Leffell, M.D. is Professor of Dermatology and Surgery (Otolaryngology and Plastic Surgery) at the Yale School of Medicine; Chief of the Section of Dermatologic Surgery and Cutaneous Oncology at Yale New Haven Hospital; and Deputy Dean for Clinical Affairs at the Yale School of Medicine. In fact, Dr. Leffell was on the research team which isolated the gene that causes skin cancer. He is eager to speak about this important topic. More about David J. Leffell, M.D.: Dr. David J. Leffell is Professor of Dermatology and Surgery (Otolaryngology and Plastic Surgery) at the Yale School of Medicine; Chief of the Section of Dermatologic Surgery and Cutaneous Oncology at Yale New Haven Hospital; and Deputy Dean for Clinical Affairs at the Yale School of Medicine. Since 1999, he has also been the Director of the Yale Medical Group, a 700 member academic multi-specialty group. Dr. Leffell’s major clinical interest is the management of skin cancer, including basal cell cancer, squamous cell cancer, and melanoma. He was part of the research group that discovered the skin cancer gene in 1996 and additional research which has clarified the role of ultraviolet radiation in skin cancer and skin aging. His Mohs (advanced treatment for skin cancer) surgery unit is the largest of its kind in the region, treating over 2,500 patients a year with the Mohs technique. Dr. Leffell founded the Dermatologic and Laser Surgery Unit at Yale in 1988. Dr. Leffell is also a researcher in the genetics of skin cancer and directs a very active clinical trials program. Recent trials included the evaluation of a non-laser device for treatment of wrinkles, artificial skin, and wound healing agents. He holds patents for a laser device that measures photoaging and the skin cancer gene. In addition to his clinical practice at Yale, Dr. Leffell directs a fellowship in dermatologic surgery. He has been a Board member of the American College of Mohs Micrographic Surgery and Cutaneous Oncology and has served on a variety of AAD and ASDS Committees. He is on the Editorial Board of the Archives of Dermatology. Dr. Leffell is also the author of the text Manual of Dermatologic Surgery, as well as the very popular book, Total Skin. After attending Yale and the McGill University Faculty of Medicine, Montreal, Dr. Leffell completed residency training in Internal Medicine at Cornell Cooperating Hospitals and then in Dermatology at Yale New Haven Hospital. His fellowship training was completed in Advanced Dermatologic Surgery at the University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor. Dr. Leffell resides in New Haven, Connecticut. https://videos.whiteblox.com/gnb/secure/player.aspx?sid=34963