At this point, there isn’t anyone left alive today who didn’t grow up hearing how sunscreen lotions and sprays will prevent overexposure and skin cancer. But if this claim is true — and more people all the time accept the advice — why is skin cancer still a rising problem?
I am sure you’ve all heard the advice to use sunscreen at the beach, swimming pool, or whenever you venture outside. IT is now taken as axiomatic that sunscreen will prevent you from getting over exposed to the sun and the resulting skin cancer that can come with that.
Yet, despite the ubiquity of the assumption that sunscreen prevents skin cancer, the illness is still a growing concern in America.
So, what gives? If sunscreen is such a panacea, why are cases of skin cancer still growing?
Well, according to Niall McCrae, the fact is there has never really been any evidence at all that sunscreen prevents skin cancer.
“Sunscreens were first mass-marketed in the 1970s and there is no evidence that they have achieved any reduction in the incidence of melanoma. Indeed, as a direct and indirect contributor to our toxic environment, they should be used with caution. Don’t expect the authorities to tell you that, though,” he wrote.
Indeed, McCrae points out that the sunscreens themselves often have toxic chemicals in them!
Newer sunscreens remain loaded with chemicals of known toxicity. An effective UV light filter, 4-benzylidene camphor, is used in many products. Research by Cassandra Lax and colleagues (2023) in the journal Basic and Clinical Pharmacology & Toxicology indicated systemic and molecular effects of this agent.
By interfering with the endocrine system, 4-benzylidene camphor can disrupt the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal complex, causing deregulation of hormones and damage to reproductive organs.
As explained by biochemical researcher Elizabeth Plourde, instead of chemical filters, two physical barriers are now commonly used in sunscreen: zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. Both can be seriously harmful due to absorption of genotoxic nanoparticles, risking fertility and foetal health. Controversially, Plourde commented: ‘Many young people today are stating that they are confused as to their sexual orientation. It is no wonder! The use of estrogenic and anti-testosterone sunscreen chemicals for the last forty years could be one reason that males and females are experiencing gender identity confusion in ever greater numbers. It is known that testosterone secreted by fetal testicles plays a key role in the permanent organization of the developing central nervous system toward masculine patterns. This means that males exposed to these chemicals in utero are subject to disruption of the development of normal masculine character traits.’
One would think that common sense is far more useful to prevent over exposure than sunscreen.
Don’t spend too much time in the sun if you are white as a ghost. Tan yourself slowly at first and build up your tan before spending more time outside.
If you are extremely fair of complexion, don’t even try to get a tan, especially if skin cancer runs in your family. Be careful of your exposure. Just be mindful of your exposure.
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