Sunscreen pills that offer sole and complete protection from UV rays are not yet available to the public, but there are pills on the market that are intended for use in addition to lotions and creams. They offer more protection than other products, which the majority users fail to put on properly. The consequences of neglecting to apply sunscreen lotion evenly or as often as necessary are thought to be neutralized with the use of these pills.
The pills that are currently available are designed to protect the skin from sun damage from the inside out. The biggest concern about spending too much time in the sun is that DNA is damaged by exposure to UV rays. When this happens, cells can potentially begin to grow abnormally, resulting in skin caner. Sunscreen pills do not screen or block UV rays as lotions do, but they strengthen and help prevent the skin’s DNA from sun damage at the cellular level.
Sunscreen pills are generally composed of vitamins, organic chemicals and antioxidants that are found in many foods. These ingredients are conveniently concentrated and often include the vitamins A, C, D and E; selenium, which is a photoelectric chemical; para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA), a type of folic acid that absorbs ultraviolet light; and antioxidants found in green tea, carrots, beets and pomegranate that are proven to help fight cancer. While it's possible to get all of these nutrients through the diet, that would be very difficult. Each brand of pill contains its own combination and concentrations of various ingredients.
Consumers cannot use these pills to replace sunscreen lotions or creams because their effectiveness when used alone has not been proven. Many people who have tried them believe that they are beneficial in preventing sun burns, which are a sign of skin damage. Taking the pills daily as a dietary supplement may help prevent at least some damage, and the ingredients that they contain are healthful for many body systems other than the skin.