Dangerous; sunshine or sunblock…
There is a heatwave coming and this can divide people right down the middle about the practise of slathering our skin with sunblock to avoid the risk of developing melanoma.
The problem is that there are consequences to blocking certain rays from the sun on our skin, but the fear of skin cancer is real.
The first problem is this: if we use sunblock then the rays necessary to develop Vitamin D are prevented from doing their job, and our natural production of vitamin D is halted.
A second problem is this: many industrial sunblocks use chemicals such as oxybuzone. [This is just one of a list]. Are these chemicals safe?
According to publicly available scientific research oxybuzone is readily absorbed through the skin and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found it causes allergic skin reactions and is an endocrine disruptor which is particularly harmful to developing children. In the USA researchers found that adolescent boys with higher oxybenzone measurements had lower total testosterone levels.
Ironically, four studies published in 2020 support previous findings that oxybenzone may increase the risk of breast cancer and endometriosis. [https://www.ewg.org/sunscreen/report/the-trouble-with-sunscreen-chemicals/].
Several countries ban the sale of sunscreens that contain this ingredient, because it may harm aquatic life, especially damaging to coral reefs.
The good news is there are choices. The above information was taken from the Environmental Working Group’s guide to sunscreens, and they advise sunscreens containing titanium oxide and zinc. They even helpfully have a search facility where you can a] find a list of verified sunscreens and b] pop in your favourite sunscreen in the search bar and get independent valuation of its safety.
They also have a lot of information on the various constituents of sunscreens and what the problem is with them, so you can happily type away and find out all you need to know about toxicity…
But going back to the first problem…
Some people may say that we can always pop a supplement of Vitamin D to replace the natural function of sun rays on skin, but some people may not be able to fund supplementation for a whole family, and sunlight is free. Another issue is that apparently, the Vitamin D that the body produces in response to the sun’s UVB rays is protective against melanoma. Research shows low vitamin D levels may also help promote the growth of melanoma cells.1 Vitamin D3 is produced in the skin when it is exposed to sunlight, while Vitamin D2 is taken in through our diet, and Vitamin D3 is more effective at raising and maintaining Vitamin D levels in the blood compared to Vitamin D2, and Vitamin D2 tends to break down more quickly in the body, leading to less stable levels.
There are other issues. Some suggest that sunlight can help us burn fat more efficiently, regulate sleep cycles, maintain healthy blood pressure, prevent atherosclerosis and modulate immune function. 2
Others have even suggested that the link between sun exposure and melanoma has been over-inflated. 3
Interestingly, there have been suggestions that other forces are involved and that we should be aware of to reduce the risk of developing skin cancer, because in all cases of serious disease there are multifactorial factors including nutrition, environment and stress. One issue that has emerged is the ratio of Omega 3s to Omega 6s. There was a review by the National Academy of Sciences which showed that optimising the ration of Omega3:Omega6 was ‘instrumental in reducing the occurrence of skin cancers.4 This research is significant because it suggests a molecular mechanism for how Omega-3 fatty acids might have anti-cancer properties, while Omega-6 fatty acids (which are also essential but often consumed in much higher quantities in Western diets) don’t share this protective effect.
The biggest problem may be that taking all the sometimes-conflicting science on board can be so confusing for us, particularly parents. The biggest threat seems to be to let your child [who has delicate skin] strip off in the extreme heat and get burnt. None of us should get sunburnt – instead let the exposure be gradual. In days gone by when we spent more time outside this wasn’t an issue. Now we seem to be shut up all winter and burst out at the first sign of a hot day.
Instead of slathering the skin with toxic chemical which block out beneficial actions of the sun, visit the ewg.org/sunscreen to see what you are buying. And get enough Omega 3s and nutrients in your diet to give your skin and immune system a fighting chance.
This doesn’t have to be expensive. Tinned fish and nettle tea will help.
Wishing all a happy and healthy summer….
1 Hardie CM, Elliott F, Chan M, Rogers Z, Bishop DT, Newton-Bishop J. 2020. Environmental exposures such as smoking and low vitamin D are predictive of poor outcome in cutaneous melanoma rather than other deprivation measures. Journal of Investigative Dermatology. 140(2), pp. 327-33
2 Mercola,J. 2015. Effortless Healing. Hay House. California
3 Shuster, S.2008. “Is Sun Exposure a Major Cause of Melanoma? No.” British Medical Journal. 337, DOI: 10.1136/bmj.a764
4 Guangming Liy et al. “Omega 3 but not Omega 6 Fatty Acids Inhibit AP-1 Activity and Cell Transformation in JB Cells,” Proceedingsof the National Academy of Sciences. 98, no 13 [June 19, 2001]: 7510-15. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.131195198
