Does sunscreen do more harm than good?

[stampsx2]

Originally Posted by Weitz

Hasn’t the Ozone beeen totally regenerated now?

No it hasn’t started regenerating. The hole in the ozone just stopped getting bigger.

[shogged]

I love sunscreen because when I wear it, I don’t get a sunburn

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

I actually wouldn't be that surprised that a large number of people don't get their sun exposure even in the summer. Take a place like Houston, where you go from your A/C house to your garage, car, drive to your building and never actually go outside. It's hotter than sin there, so I get it. But I wouldn't be surprised if these people don't get the sun exposure required.



One of the takeaways for me in the article was that vitamin D supplements didn't appear to have the same effect as getting sun exposure. This is where some interesting research could take place. Is it more than just vitamin D? Perhaps other factors are required. Or the sun is providing us with other benefits that we haven't analyzed. I think there is still a lot to learn here, which is why I found the whole thing interesting.

People probably don't get enough sun exposure when it is unpleasant to be outside. Houston in summer, Canada in winter both fit that description.

I almost never wear sunscreen at home, unless I'm going to an outdoor pool. On a beach vacation I definitely wear it. I find in the summer I build up enough tan that I don't burn.

[annasuave]

I bought into the "maybe sunscreen does more harm than good" argument about 10 years ago. It was an experiment I wish I'd skipped.

For background, my people have been bog-dwelling Gaels for millennia. I literally am the stereotypical Irish girl in the tropics. I also get something called "Polymorphous Light Eruption". Basically, my skin goes "Nope!" at the first kiss of sunshine after the winter and I break out in an itchy, stingy rash on the parts of my body that aren't covered by clothes.

My approach never was to run outside in the tropics, unprotected blue-white skin bare to the sun. For me, it was hats, long sleeves, knee-length skirts, umbrellas - basically just keeping out of the direct rays of the sun. While I've never had a bad burn, and I've never actually had a suntan, it didn't work out well for me, and I've basically zapped my skin.

I now have sun-damage in the form of penny-sized patches of brown skin on my arms, legs, and chest. Even from keeping to the shade.

Even so, I still believe the benefits of sun-exposure for vitamin D synthesis, mental health, and a sense of just living your damn life without trying to guard against every single risk factor under the sun is important. But these days, I cover up more, wear sunscreen more, and keep my (unprotected) exposure under 20 minutes a day.

TLDR: Getting sun on you is good for you. Getting sun on you is bad for you. So what? You wanna live forever?

[MelBridgeman]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Ya, people always lose me on medical and food discussions when they point to a time in our history where we were lucky to live past 40. No one died form skin cancer because they didn't live long enough to get it.

That and they probably wallowed