Sunscreen dangers and alternatives

Recently, (Dec 2, 2018) The Sunday Times did an article on the safety of sunscreens and “exposed” how the ingredients in these sunscreens are actually cancer-inducing or carcinogenic. This got me to dig out some of the research I did around 2004 and even before on this (going back to the 1990’s) problem and I realized there is nothing new – but it does confirm the fact that sunscreen (even so-called “natural” versions) can contribute or even cause melanoma or skin cancer!

At this time of the year, I receive numerous enquiries concerning the use of sunscreens. The “official” advice given by dermatologists and other physicians is still that sunlight should be avoided as much as possible and sunscreens should be slathered on as thickly as possible. It is unfortunate indeed that this advice is largely wrong and could be highly detrimental to your health. There are three major reasons for this.

• Several studies have confirmed that people who use sunscreens tend to spend more time in the sun than do people who do not use sunscreens. Since sunscreens protect only against sunburn, but not against melanoma and most skin cancers, this is a bad thing.
• Norwegian and Swiss researchers report that chemical sunscreens using octyl methoxycinnamate, benzophenone-3 also known as oxybenzone, octyl-dimethyl-PABA, octinoxate, octocrylene, and similar compounds are highly toxic and make cancer cells grow faster. They advise against using them and suggest that if you must use a sunscreen use a zinc oxide (the white stuff) based one.
• Total avoidance of sunlight is unhealthy because it is likely to result in a vitamin D deficiency. There is ample evidence that this can lead to muscle cramps, osteoporosis, breast cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer, and ovarian cancer. Remember that sunscreens not only protect against sunburn but also inhibit the normal synthesis of vitamin-D in the skin.

So what to do? Make sure you get at least 30 minutes of unprotected sun exposure every day. Stay out of the sun (even on cloudy days) between 10 AM and 3 PM as much as possible as natural protection against cancer. Use a wide-brimmed hat, protective clothing, and sunglasses when you are outside in the summer, and if necessary, use a zinc oxide based sunscreen to protect exposed areas such as the nose and ears.

Make a point of consuming lots of dark green vegetables and deep orange fruit and vegetables. Barley grass contains more of the antioxidants SOD than other greens and carrots and mangoes contains more beta-carotene than almost every other food.

This is one of many reasons I consume a glass of water daily mixed with 2 tsp. BarleyLife powder and a tsp of Just Carrots – it’s easier and more convenient than juicing packets of carrots and greens – I can take it with me if I am travelling or at home when running out of time and inclination ?

Aloe Vera is also known to help protect the skin from sunburn, and we find applying aloe vera gelly to the skin externally before the sun or for sunburn and drinking the juice is a great help. Don’t use an aloe based sunscreen until you have checked the ingredients on the label. Rather use pure aloe gelly in a tube than an actual sunscreen and drink a shot or two of pure Aloe Vera juice – make sure it contains no preservatives – we now have this in stock at www.mary-anns.com

We also apply our Body butter that contains mango as a natural protective cream as well as out cell regeneration cream – all locally made and 100% natural. It protects beautifully just allowing a natural glow  – although has not been SPF rated, the natural mango butter appears to be the main protective ingredient.

You can get these products from our shops in Gordons Bay and Mouille point as well as from our online store at www.mary-anns.com

Here is some of the research I unearthed from way back – to prove that this research has been around for decades – you can find a lot more online that is more current. One has to ask why and how sunscreen companies continue to market their products containing many of these harmful ingredients without any legal action – even after research has been around since the 1990’s.

The best you can do is avoid them.

Sunscreens and melanoma

MILAN, ITALY. There is growing evidence that the use of sunscreens tends to increase the time spent in the sun, thereby possibly increasing the risk of cutaneous melanoma. A team of researchers from the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer now reports that people who use sunscreens with higher sun protection factors (SPFs) tend to spend more time in the sun than do people who use sunscreens with lower SPFs. The study that was conducted in June 1998 involved 58 participants aged 18 to 24 years who were on their summer vacation. Forty-four of the participants were instructed in the use of personal dosimeters that accurately measured their exposure to UVA and UVB solar radiation. All participants were instructed to keep a daily log of their sun exposure and were randomized to one of two groups. The first group was given a 30 SPF sunscreen to use during their vacation while the second group was given a 10 SPF sunscreen.
The researchers found that the group using the 30 SPF sunscreen spent 25 percent more time in the sun than did the group using the 10 SPF sunscreen. This increase was paralleled by an increase in daily UVB exposure. Those using the 30 SPF sunscreen that did not experience sunburn spent the highest number of hours sunbathing out of all the participants. Experiencing sunburn markedly decreased time spent in the sun in both the 10 SPF and the 30 SPF groups. The researchers conclude that the use of a 30 SPF sunscreen tends to maximize UVB exposure and that the absence of sunburn encourages longer sunbathing sessions. In other words, high SPF sunscreens provide a false sense of security.
Autier, P., et al. Sunscreen use and intentional exposure to ultraviolet A and B radiation: a double-blind randomized trial using personal dosimeters. British Journal of Cancer, Vol. 83, No. 9, November 2000, pp. 1243-48

In 1991 Professor Johan Moan of the Norwegian Cancer Institute made an astounding discovery. He found that the yearly incidence of melanoma in Norway had increased by 350% for men and by 440% for women during the period 1957 to 1984. He also determined that there had been no change in the ozone layer over this period of time. He concludes his report in the British Journal of Cancer by stating “Ozone depletion is not the cause of the increase in skin cancers”(1).

Nothing wrong with a healthy tan

BRISTOL, UNITED KINGDOM. For years the medical establishment has been bombarding the public with advice to stay out of the sun, slather on sunscreen, and in general consider the sun as an enemy rather than as a friend. Fortunately, the public has been slow to accept this message and most people still like to be in the sun and consider a suntan to be a sign of good health. The original reason for the restricting sun exposure was to reduce the incidence of melanoma. Some studies had shown that a severe sunburn, especially at a young age, and intermittent exposure to strong sunlight are indeed strong risk factors for melanoma. Other studies, however, have shown that regular exposure to sunlight reduces the risk of melanoma. Melanoma is a relatively rare disease. In 1995 fewer than 1400 people died from this condition in England and Wales combined. In comparison, during the same period over 130,000 men and women died from ischemic heart disease in the same geographic area. Researchers at the University of Bristol are now sounding the warning bells. They point out that some sun exposure (without sunscreen coverage) is required in order to produce enough vitamin D to prevent rickets, osteomalacia, bone fractures, and perhaps multiple sclerosis. They also point to a recent study which found that adequate vitamin-D levels protect strongly against heart attacks. There is also considerable evidence that sunlight exposure improves mood, may combat depression, and in general, creates a subjective feeling of greater well-being. The researchers conclude that the benefits of sunlight exposure may outweigh the widely publicised adverse effects. Says one member of the research team “Those of us who enjoy spending time in the sun can rest assured that the chance that we will be one of the people dying from our tan is small.”
Ness, Andrew R., et al. Are we really dying for a tan? British Medical Journal, Vol. 319, July 10, 1999, pp. 114-16

Is our average vitamin D intake woefully inadequate?

TORONTO, CANADA. Dr. Reinhold Vieth, MD of the University of Toronto provides convincing evidence that vitamin D deficiency is widespread particularly in northern countries. He is also adamant that currently accepted RDAs (Recommended Daily Allowances) are totally inadequate to prevent osteoporosis and osteomalacia. He points out that total-body sun exposure easily provides the equivalent of 10,000 IU of vitamin D a day and that this amount is what the human race originating in Africa was originally accustomed to. With our current, officially-sanctioned phobia about sun exposure most people expose only their face and hands to the sun on a regular basis and as a result become woefully deficient. The use of sunscreens prevents the formation of any vitamin D at all and makes matters even worse. A vitamin D deficiency is not only heavily implicated in osteoporosis but has also been linked to breast cancer, ovarian cancer, prostate cancer, and colon cancer. Recent research has shown that a vitamin D intake of 1300 to 3800 IU/day helps prevent multiple sclerosis and that MS is more prevalent among people deficient in vitamin-D

Sun avoidance increases cancer risk

NEWPORT NEWS, VIRGINIA. There is ample evidence that lack of sun exposure increases the risk of many types of cancer. The mortality rates for breast cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer, ovarian cancer, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma are twice as high in the northeastern part of the US as in the southwest. Dr. William Grant, Ph.D., an independent American researcher, now reports additional evidence indicating the eight more cancers are associated with lack of exposure to UV-B radiation (sunshine!). Dr. Grant found a clear inverse correlation between UV-B exposure and mortality from bladder, kidney, lung, pancreatic, stomach, rectal, esophageal cancers and cancer of the corpus uteri. He estimates that over 21,000 white Americans, 1400 African Americans, and 500 people from Asian and other minorities die prematurely every year from cancer because they don’t get enough sunshine.
Dr. Grant and most other researchers in the field believe that the lack of sun exposure leads to a vitamin-D deficiency, which is known to be implicated in the progression of many cancers. Vitamin D is formed in the skin when it is exposed to sunlight. Vitamin D formation is totally inhibited by sunscreens and most clothing. Dr. Grant points out that winter time UV-B levels in Boston are insufficient to promote vitamin D synthesis in the skin. He advocates prudent sun exposure when it is available and vitamin D supplementation when it is not. Editor’s Note: If lack of sun exposure is a problem in northern USA then it is obviously even more of a problem in Canada. Researchers at the University of Toronto recently concluded that Canadians need to supplement with 4000 IU/day of vitamin D when they are not exposed to sunshine.
Grant, William B. An estimate of premature cancer mortality in the U.S. due to inadequate doses of solar ultraviolet-B radiation. Cancer, Vol. 94, March 15, 2002, pp. 1867-75

Vitamin D deficiency implicated in severe muscle disease

The doctors point out that a vitamin D deficiency should be suspected in patients complaining of muscle weakness and aches and pains in their bones. They also report that they have seen milder cases of vitamin D deficiency which had been diagnosed as fibromyalgia, depression or chronic fatigue syndrome. Editor’s Note: Excessive use of sunscreens undoubtedly contributes to vitamin D deficiencies as sunscreens prevent the skin from generating vitamin D (80 percent of the body’s vitamin D supply is generated in the skin).
Prabhala, Anu, et al. Severe myopathy associated with vitamin D deficiency in western New York. Archives of Internal Medicine, Vol. 160, April 24, 2000, pp. 1199- 1203

Vitamins protect against sunburn

DUSSELDORF, GERMANY. Researchers conclude that beta-carotene and vitamin E is useful for protecting the skin from to ultraviolet light.
Stahl, Wilhelm, et al. Carotenoids and carotenoids plus vitamin E protect against ultraviolet light-induced erythema in humans. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 71, March 2000, pp. 795-98

The problem with sunscreens

Sunscreen use may be associated with adverse effects. Some experts hypothesize that sunscreen users may increase time spent in the sun, avoiding sunburn, but exposing themselves to harmful solar radiation, which may be carcinogenic or decrease immune function. (7) Others fear that some compounds in sunscreen preparations may be mutagenic or carcinogenic, e.g., padimate-0 or octyl dimethyi PABA (34) and alpha tocopherol acetate. (35) Sunscreen use may be associated with reduced synthesis of vitamin D; although, in one randomized controlled trial in Australia during the summer, sunscreen users maintained vitamin D levels in the normal range. (36) Sunscreens may cause skin reactions; in one randomized clinical trial, 19% of daily sunscreen users had a skin reaction (predominantly irritant; only a minority were allergic). (37) Little is known about potential long-term effects of sunscreen use

Sunlight protects against cancer

Avoiding the sun is not the best strategy for reducing overall rates of cancer, claims a senior doctor in a letter to this week’s BMJ. Recommending moderate exposure to the sun would be more prudent.

Sun exposure is the main source of vitamin D, which reduces the risk of colon, breast, prostate, and other cancers, writes Professor Cedric Garland at the
The University of California.

People in the United Kingdom cannot synthesize vitamin D from November to March, so become deficient by December, he says. Therefore, supplementation of the diet with vitamin D would be helpful, in addition to
encouraging moderate exposure to the sun.

Residents of the United Kingdom should aim for 10-15 minutes a day in the sun when the weather allows, without sunscreen, to allow adequate synthesis of vitamin D, he concludes.

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