Mike Kernaghan defends Cancer Society sunscreen in wake of criticism

Andrew Dickens Afternoons

LISTEN TO MIKE KERNAGHAN TALK WITH TIM ROXBOROGH ABOVE
Allergic reactions could be one reason why Cancer Society sunscreen didn't work on a young child, the organisation says.
The mother of four-month-old baby Noah Watson went public about her son's severe burns over the weekend; even after his mother generously applied Cancer Society SPF50 sunscreen on him.
Cancer Society NZ chief Mike Kernaghan said they were in the process of investigating up to 30 complaints from people and were also speaking with Noah’s family.
.Up to 60 complaints were received by the Cancer Society each year.
The process investigated the complaint itself in the first instance, he said, rather than the product.
Kernaghan told Tim Roxborogh that his gut response is that could have been some sort of allergic reaction.
While he has no certainity around it, Kernaghan says that the fact the sunscreen is manufactured in Australia, where it is classed as a medicine, could have had an effect.
“There are strict manufacturing processes around any medicine.”
Kernaghan says that the sunscreen Lyndall Watson has complained about was recently tested and came back with positive results.
"We've very confident that we meet the SPF claims on the label."
Four-month-old baby Noah suffered blister burns despite using SPF50 Cancer Society sunscreen. Photo / Supplied
Kernaghan stressed they took every complaint seriously, but acknowledged that they were very confident with their available products and the SPF protection levels they carried.
He says he wants to reassure everyone that Cancer Society sunscreen that it will provide the protection.
“However, we are not all the same. Some of us have skin allergies that others don’t.”
Kernaghan says that sunscreen is only one part of the process, and that wearing appropriate clothing and hats and finding shade.
Noah’s experience has sparked many readers of the New Zealand Herald to come forward with their own experiences.
Among some of the products blasted by readers are those from top brands Cancer Society, Banana Boat - which has a range specifically for children - Neutrogena and Coola.
Larissa Thompson said her family had been put off using Cancer Society sunscreen products in future after her teenage daughter suffered burns to her back.
"I have had [to] apologise to my 15-year-old daughter, who came back from the beach looking like a pink flamingo, as I accused her of not using sunscreen.
"Lizzy has pale skin and very conscious of her susceptibility to being burnt if she didn't cover up.
"So she was applying thickly every half hour but it was completely useless. She may as well have applied moisturiser for all the good it did.
Thompson said she had bought her girl a tube of the Cancer Society's SPF50+ sunscreen just before Christmas. It was a brand the family had always used and with no problems.
A teenager shows off the aftermath of a day at the beach while wearing Cancer Society SPF50+ sunscreen. Photo / Supplied
"She had very bad sunburn with a patch on her shoulder going down a few layers of skin.''
Thompson said the family would not be using that brand of sunscreen again.
Kelly Ryan, said she had been "burned like a crisp'' after applying Banana Boat sunscreen.
"It was almost as if I did the opposite and attracted the sun to my skin."
She did not specify what SPF protection level her sunscreen had, but acknowledged she had not been out in the sun long enough to do that much damage.
"I was holidaying in Fiji and was only outside for an hour, as I had to catch a flight, so there wasn't any need to reapply.''
Another woman, Lisa Bolt, said she was left severely burnt, blistered and peeled through three layers of skin over the Christmas holidays.
"As a nurse, I was horrified! I now have freckles all over the areas that weren't there before Christmas and the skin is now a...

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