I'm very fair and grew up at the beach in the 70s. I had malignant melanoma in my mid 20s. Since that time - 30 years - I've been very serious about sunscreen use.

At my annual physical with my internist had low levels of vitamin d and was put on a prescription version of the vitamin. I saw my knee doctor some months after and he lectured me about low levels of vitamin d and sunscreen use. He said I needed to cut back on the sunscreen even though I had malignant melanoma in the past . I'm out several times a week in the sun at the worst part of the day in the summer. I listened to this fool and decided to be clever and skipped putting sunscreen on my lower legs here and there. I didn't put sunscreen on my shins. Within two years I've had different types of skin cancer and precancerous spots removed from my lower legs. No problems anywhere else.

I'm so glad I continued using sun screen. I can't imagine what it would be like to have my melanoma scar on my face. I've also known an older gentleman who had lots of disfiguring procedures on his face as part of his treatment of pre cancerous growths on his face. I'm mid 50s with barely a wrinkle but if you see my lower legs, they look sun damaged.

The cancer concern trumps the vitamin d concern. I'll continue taking my vitamins and using sunscreen.

Anonymous wrote:OP, the incidence of skin cancer has gone up with rising rates of sunscreen use. It's possible that when it breaks down, sunscreen can either make solar radiation more damaging or it can itself damage skin, making cancer more likely. It's also possible that it doesn't do as good of a job at blocking skin-cancer-promoting radiation (as it does of blocking a tan) and so it leads to greater incidence of cancer because you stay out in the sun longer when you use it.

It's a better idea to push your family (and encourage your kids) to wear protective clothing (hats, long sleeves, etc) use umbrellas, or stay out of the sun during the most dangerous parts of the day.

I no longer use sunscreen because of the research correlating it with skin cancer. I use a combination of the methods above.

The assumption is that people who put on sunscreen stay out longer in the sun than they normally would. There was no conclusion drawn from the analysis of skin cancer rates that the sun screen caused the increase. The behavior of the people who used the sun screen changed. You mentioned this but ignored it.

I never wear sunscreen. I don't worry about cancer. We all gotta go sometime, somehow,

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just went to the zoo with mil, fil and sil. I had melanoma three years ago and thank god caught it early and have since been fine. Scared the shit out of me. I now cover with UPF clothing or wear sunscreen every wear and put more on every two hours max. And you should see my kids...they will never have to worry about wrinkles. So there we are I'm putting more sunscreen on my family and I offer some to sil and she says oh I'm good I put it on this morning. Then mil chimes in that her makeup is spf 15! She in particular was looking red and my husband had already mentioned to her on this trip to be careful as she is at a high risk for skin cancer. Naturally blond hair light eyes and fair. Wtf is wrong with these people they saw me go through surgery and have numerous tests done on lymph nodes. Are they stupid or just think they are invisible! Vent over thanks dcum I can't say to their faces.

I hope you are using the non-toxic sunscreen, especially on your children.
https://www.ewg.org/sunscreen/

There's no such thing as toxic sunscreen. Ewg uses junk science to scare parents

Anonymous wrote:OP, the incidence of skin cancer has gone up with rising rates of sunscreen use. It's possible that when it breaks down, sunscreen can either make solar radiation more damaging or it can itself damage skin, making cancer more likely. It's also possible that it doesn't do as good of a job at blocking skin-cancer-promoting radiation (as it does of blocking a tan) and so it leads to greater incidence of cancer because you stay out in the sun longer when you use it.

It's a better idea to push your family (and encourage your kids) to wear protective clothing (hats, long sleeves, etc) use umbrellas, or stay out of the sun during the most dangerous parts of the day.

I no longer use sunscreen because of the research correlating it with skin cancer. I use a combination of the methods above.

+1!

I'm also vitamin d deficient and unless I plan to be out in the sun all day (or on the beach) - I do not wear it.

The research is really mixed on sunscreen. I can see OP, because of your scare, you feel passionate about SS. But, don't let your irrational fear make heath choices for other people.

Anonymous wrote:MYOFB

+1 That stick up your butt is unhealthy, OP.

So funny how everyone tells OP to mind her own business, yet if she were complaining that her in-laws were too fat, they'd be telling her to stage an intervention. Fat hatred is real!

For the record, I think in both cases, you MYOB.

Anonymous wrote:
OP,

As a geneticist I can tell you that even though the global risk of skin cancer is higher in fair-skinned people, it doesn't completely correlate with specific predispositions to it. So a pale northerner could spend his days in the sun and not get skin cancer. You found out you were susceptible, which means your children may inherit that susceptibility regardless of their skin color.

So just focus on your kids, please. They are at risk. Buy something to European standards that's also safe on EWG. Europe has broader-spectrum sunscreen.
And avoid the sun.
It's the most important thing you can do.
Other than that, wear protective clothing.

b Also keep an eye on their vitamin d levels.

MYOFB

OP,

As a geneticist I can tell you that even though the global risk of skin cancer is higher in fair-skinned people, it doesn't completely correlate with specific predispositions to it. So a pale northerner could spend his days in the sun and not get skin cancer. You found out you were susceptible, which means your children may inherit that susceptibility regardless of their skin color.

So just focus on your kids, please. They are at risk. Buy something to European standards that's also safe on EWG. Europe has broader-spectrum sunscreen.
And avoid the sun.
It's the most important thing you can do.
Other than that, wear protective clothing.

I think some of this is genetic. I am Asian and my parents / grandparents, and ancestors were farmers. The sun in strong there. I promise they were not wearing ANY sunscreen back in the old country. They probably wore hats and long sleeves/pants. My parents never ever wear sunscreen and don't burn. Honestly, I also rarely wear it, although now I'm better since I put it on my kids. Some one can disabuse me of this notion, but I sort of think that if someone had a propensity for skin cancer, those genes "died out" through natural selection.

doodlebug wrote:I never wear sunscreen unless I'm in the water or planning to be in the blazing hot sun for hours on end (which never happens.) I do wear a hat though. Sunscreen is loaded with freaky chemicals which you are then smearing all over your skin AKA the largest organ in your body. Think about it. The largest organ in your body is absorbing a laboratory cocktail of man made chemicals. You might as well be eating a steady diet of cheetohs and diet coke. Additionally, Vitamin D deficiency is very real and of much greater risk for cancers and other health effects than the risk of skin cancer. Given your particular experience the risk might be worth it, but for most people it isn't. Seriously, ditch the sunscreen and wear better clothes. And take vitamin D3!!!!

This. The tide is changing on sunscreen's positives vs negatives. As always, it will take the masses way too long to catch up with research.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just went to the zoo with mil, fil and sil. I had melanoma three years ago and thank god caught it early and have since been fine. Scared the shit out of me. I now cover with UPF clothing or wear sunscreen every wear and put more on every two hours max. And you should see my kids...they will never have to worry about wrinkles. So there we are I'm putting more sunscreen on my family and I offer some to sil and she says oh I'm good I put it on this morning. Then mil chimes in that her makeup is spf 15! She in particular was looking red and my husband had already mentioned to her on this trip to be careful as she is at a high risk for skin cancer. Naturally blond hair light eyes and fair. Wtf is wrong with these people they saw me go through surgery and have numerous tests done on lymph nodes. Are they stupid or just think they are invisible! Vent over thanks dcum I can't say to their faces.

I hope you are using the non-toxic sunscreen, especially on your children.
https://www.ewg.org/sunscreen/

My doctor is death on sunscreen as the great toxic experiment. She believes, rightly so, that some sun is good for all of us (we have a vitamin d deficiency problem in the US) and advocates staying out of sun in peak hours, but not avoiding altogether.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just went to the zoo with mil, fil and sil. I had melanoma three years ago and thank god caught it early and have since been fine. Scared the shit out of me. I now cover with UPF clothing or wear sunscreen every wear and put more on every two hours max. And you should see my kids...they will never have to worry about wrinkles. So there we are I'm putting more sunscreen on my family and I offer some to sil and she says oh I'm good I put it on this morning. Then mil chimes in that her makeup is spf 15! She in particular was looking red and my husband had already mentioned to her on this trip to be careful as she is at a high risk for skin cancer. Naturally blond hair light eyes and fair. Wtf is wrong with these people they saw me go through surgery and have numerous tests done on lymph nodes. Are they stupid or just think they are invisible! Vent over thanks dcum I can't say to their faces.

So you and your kids have on sunscreen. Why do you care about if they wear it or not? And btw, the sunscreen in makeup is just like the sunscreen without the tint...

You know, op, it is their body, their choice.