Suncreen Linked To Skin Cancer

Sunscreen is widely believed to be the totally safe, health conscious, life essential products to use in the summer. Without sunscreen you will get a tan, be dangerously exposed to the sun, get skin cancer, and die (in that order).

So the if reasons for using sunscreen haven't been beaten into your brains by the age of six, you're either stupid or come from another planet where sunscreen doesn't exist.

Skin cancer prevention is being explained to kindergartners and teachers are now dutifully slathering kids with sunscreen before even the slightest sun exposure.

According to an article published by International Health News: "no scientific proof that they protect against melanoma or basal cell carcinoma in humans. There is, however, some evidence that regular use of sunscreens helps prevent the formation of actinic keratoses, the precursors of squamous cell carcinoma." You can read this article in full by clicking here.

Sunscreens are very good at protecting our skin from sunburns. Unfortunately when we slather ourselves with sunscreen it gives us a false sense of security. Many people stay outside in the sun for far longer than they usually would because they are wearing sunscreen and feel safe.

Unfortunately most sunscreens only block UVB rays. These are the radiation rays that primarily cause sunburns. These are not the only rays that can damage your skin and body however. The much more harmful UVA rays are able to penetrate deeper into the skin and slow the functions of your immune system, but do not contribute significantly to sunburns.

As we slather ourselves with sunscreen we are in fact shielding ourselves from the very substance that helps us ward off skin cancers - sunlight! Natural sunlight exposure helps our body produce Vitamin D, one of the only vitamins in our body that cannot be taken synthetically. More and more children are developing rickets, a condition where bones soften leading to easy fractures and deformity. Rickets is largely caused by a deficiency in Vitamin D because children are never being allowed outside without that healthy slathering of sunscreen first.

Sunscreen almost completely blocks your skin's ability to produce Vitamin D. Combine that with the depressing effects of UVA rays that sunscreens don't block, and it's a no brainier to understand why people are getting sicker by using sunscreen.

To make matters even worse, the common active ingredients in sunscreen are actually carcinogenic. Most sunscreens are made with concentrations of 2 to 5% of benzophenone or its derivatives: oxybenzone, benzophenone-3. These substances are extreme free radical generators. What this means is when the chemical is applied to the skin and then exposed to sunlight, the molecule splits. The newly split molecules are free radicals, or molecules that will bounce around the body searching for a spare hydrogen atom to hook up with.

The theory is that when the Benzophenone splits it will find a hydrogen mate within the sunscreen itself, but this is not totally guaranteed. What's to stop the free radicals from bonding with the skin? This could conceivably cause a series of events that lead to skin cancer and melanoma.

This link is between skin cancer and high sunscreen usage is actually seen very clearly in Australia. Advertising campaigns and doctor recommendations have worked hard to educate the public about sunscreen usage. Unfortunately this has lead to a mass epidemic of sun cancers, all caused by increase use in products that actually cause the disease they are trying to prevent.

So the real solution to skin cancer and sunburns is not to slather on a chemical rich product! The real solution is to be smart and limit your sun exposure to reasonable limits.

Get a very mild tan - Don't use this as a license to sunbathe rigorously! Gently expose your skin to small amounts of sun for about 15 minutes a day. This is the perfect length of time to water your garden or take a walk. By allowing your skin to tan mildly your skin will naturally protect itself from sunburn.
Limit your sun exposure - Staying out in the baking sun for any longer than an hour is just stupid. Don't be dumb! You don't need to have skin the same color as a Hershey's Chocolate bar unless you really do want to die from skin cancer (and if you did, the process would go much faster if you applied sunscreen first)!
Wear protective clothing - Wearing a hat and sunglasses will not only keep you cool, it will also protect your skin from direct sun exposure.
Use good skin care - After spending any length of time in the sun, apply a layer of Aloe rich lotion or Pure Aloe Jelly to your exposed skin. Even if you haven't burned, this will dramatically reduce the damage done to your skin by the sun. Many premature aging signs are caused by sun exposure. Applying Aloe will help to combat these aging signs effectively without risking your health.
Don't use sunscreen - If you're going to be outside for HOURS and absolutely cannot avoid it, then wear sunscreen, but do it at your own risk. The better solution is to limit your sun exposure so that your skin doesn't burn in the first place.

I know a lot of women that use sunscreen as a daily moisturizer. This is putting unwanted, carcinogenic chemicals on your face every single day! You can try to look for sunscreens that don't contain benzophenone, oxybenzone, or benzophenone-3, but they are very difficult to find.

Another alternative is to use products that reflect the sun rather than absorb it. Titanium Oxide and Zinc Oxide are two safe ingredients that can block sunlight effectively without risking your health.

To good health,

Sunscreen Linked To Cancer

Can the products that are suppose to
protect us from skin cancer actually causing the problem?

Sunscreen Linked To Cancer

Can the products that are suppose to protect us from skin cancer actually causing the problem?

Can the products that are suppose to
protect us from skin cancer actually causing the problem?