Why I Don’t Wear Sunscreen
In a nutshell, sunscreen does more to cause cancer than it ever will to prevent it.
Yes, it goes against everything you’ve ever heard about the sun and skin cancer.
But does it surprise you that I would blog about topics that are counter to the profit-driven culture and seem a bit ‘conspiracy-theory’ in nature?
I’m just looking for the Truth.
I lived in fear of developing skin cancer my entire life. Sunscreens slathered on liberally, just like the doctors and tv commercials told me.
But then I learned the godly principles of living the way the Creator intended. True, things are not as they should be in this world–physically or spiritually. This should be painfully obvious to you, my readers, in many different ways. And, yes, we must learn to operate within these spectrums and limitations.
But what if something God created as the source of Light and Life on this earth actually isn’t the cause of scary illnesses that kill peoples’ mothers?
What if the sun actually pulled toxins out of your body and provided your body with it’s daily requirement of Vitamin D–a strong immune booster in the fight against any disease or illness?
So what would happen if we ran from the sun and holed up in our toxic houses (the air in which the EPA says is 70% more toxic than the air outdoors) and office cubicles?
Or when we did venture out into the sun, the toxic chemicals we just slathered onto our skin (in the form of sunscreens, lotions, makeup, etc.) reacted with the toxins that are being pulled out from inside our bodies?
The following is from a book called Never Be Sick Again by Raymond Francis:
“Synthetic chemical sunscreens may indeed help prevent a sunburn, but they do not prevent skin cancer–in fact, they may even promote it.
“Researchers at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston cite: ‘There is no substantial evidence that sunscreen protects against any of the three forms of skin cancer.’
“Robin Marks, M.B., M.P.H., a dermatologist and a professor at the University of Melbourne said: ‘Relying on synthetic chemicals to prevent cancer is laughable.’
“Arthur Rhodes, a University of Pittsburgh dermatologist, told a 1994 meeting of the American Cancer Society that sunscreens ‘appear weakly effective or ineffective.’”
And did you ever think about the people in tropical countries who basically spend their whole life outdoors in the sun?
“While public health officials have been warning that exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun increases your risk of developing melanoma, an epidemic of the disease has broken out among indoor workers.
“These workers get three to nine times LESS solar UV exposure than outdoor workers get, yet only indoor workers have increasing rates of melanoma — and the rates have been increasing since before 1940.
“There are two major factors that help explain this, and the first has to do with the type of UV exposure. There are two primary types of UV rays from sunlight, the vitamin-D-producing UVB rays and the skin-damaging UVA light.
“Both UVA and UVB can cause tanning and burning, although UVB does so far more rapidly. UVA, however, penetrates your skin more deeply than UVB, and may be a much more important factor in photoaging, wrinkles and skin cancers.
“A recent study found that indoor workers may have increased rates of melanoma because they’re exposed to sunlight through windows, and only UVA light, unlike UVB, can pass through window glass.
“At the same time, these indoor workers are missing out on exposure to the beneficial UVB rays, and have lower levels of vitamin D.”
(That came from an article by Dr. Joseph Mercola)
So what to do?
First off, just forget everything you’ve ever learned about the sun, sunscreen and skin cancer.
I mean it.
And get out in the sun! God created it to give Life and Light. And Vitamin D!
The best time is actually between 10:00a and 2:00p when the Vitamin D producing UVB rays are the most intense. You want to stay out until you turn a very light shade of pink. Fair-skinned people will probably max out after about 10-20 minutes. The darker your skin, the longer you need to stay out.
If I go to the beach or spend the whole day at the lake before I’ve had a chance to build up a good tan, I’ll use natural sunscreens like coconut oil or natural brands like Burt’s Bees or Jason.
And the biggest piece of advice?
You are what you eat.
“Watch your diet. People whose diets are high in omega-6 polyunsaturated fats (such as sunflower, safflower and other vegetable oils) are more prone to have sun-damaged skin. Once consumed, these oils work their way to the skin surface, where sunlight oxidises them, which rapidly creates free radicals – unstable molecules that damage the cells’ DNA, leading to photoageing as well as skin cancer (Nutr Cancer, 1987; 9: 219-26).”
I like what Raymond Francis said best:
“Unless you do something foolish, the sun will not cause disease in healthy people who have adequate amounts of nutrients like carotenes, lycopene, essential fatty acids, and vitamins A, C, E, and zinc and selenium.”
Comments are closed.
Thomas Hays
September 8, 2010 at 11:40 amGreat post! I stopped wearing that stuff years ago, but to be healthier but rather I hate wearing it! It's comforting to know that science backs me up :)
What are your thoughts on this: You mentioned that high intake of omega-6 fats cause oxidation in the skin, so do you think that this is why those who tan often may look like burlap after a few decades?
Lori
September 8, 2010 at 12:16 pmThanks Thomas!
I definitely think an imbalance of omega-6 fats can cause a number of different skin conditions, including the burlap look you mentioned. Having too many omega-6 fats and not enough omega-3s also causes inflammation in your body (think conditions ending in -itis like arthritis and colitis).
crunchy mom
September 9, 2010 at 11:10 pmI've read this recently but I'm still towing the safe line on this one. I don't use sunscreen or block but I do cover up my face and head and try to be sensible about sun exposure. Both my grandfathers (one who ate mostly fish all his life) died of skin cancer. I do agree though that sunscreens and blocks can definitely be worse than tanning! Thanks so much for linking up with Simple Lives Thursday.
Sustainable Eats
Jenny
September 10, 2010 at 8:27 amYou still don't want to get burned. I cover up when I am reintroducing myself to the sun after winter. I have found that eliminating all PUFA's from my diet and using coconut oil has helped tremendously.
Lori
September 10, 2010 at 8:31 amCrunchy Mom-So sorry about your grandfather. I too lost a close family member to skin cancer. I will occasionally wear some natural brands of sunscreen because, as Jenny mentioned, you don't want to get burned.
When the sun comes out again in the Spring I will make it a point to spend 10-15 minutes in the sun each day (usually having a picnic lunch) to start building up my tan.
Audrey
September 12, 2010 at 12:59 amLove this post! I don't wear sunscreen either, and I don't put it on my kids. We're fair-skinned, so I try to slowly reintroduce our bodies to the sun in the spring. And I've noticed the better we eat, the less likely we are to get burned!
Michelle
January 18, 2011 at 9:09 pmThank you for posting this – it is great. When I was diagnosed with Celiac and then osteopenia and osteoporosis I decided my body probably needed the vitamin D. So, I stopped wearing sunscreen unless I thought I might get burned. Thankfully, my bone health has improved! Thank you for explaining this so well.
Lisa @Granola Catholic
May 12, 2011 at 12:33 pmGreat article, I just wrote about this too. I did not know about the omegas but they are soo good for everything. We rarely use sunscreen and hardly ever burn. (except the back of my neck yesterday- but I wore a ponytail and no hat).
Eco Beauty Editor
June 22, 2011 at 5:41 pmGreat article Lori. I wholeheartedly agree with you. I also wrote an article about it a couple of years ago (and another on my blog recently http://www.ecobeautyeditor.com/2011/04/the-sunscreen-debate/) and received quite a few negative comments (I was called an idiot(!). We all certainly need to look closely at what we’ve been told to believe, as the rise in diseases quite clearly shows we’re doing something very wrong. Wearing sunscreen/block is one of the top things on my list as being a skin cancer culprit. Congrats on speaking your mind and putting some excellent info out there. I love your blog and am looking forward to keeping up with your posts.
x Shannon
Lori Winter
June 22, 2011 at 7:04 pmThanks for the encouragement Shannon! I’m excited to read more from EcoBeautyEditor as well. Good to connect with you!
Eco Beauty Editor
June 22, 2011 at 7:18 pmGreat to connect with you too Lori! Please do keep in touch x
thelivingenergy
June 27, 2011 at 12:24 pmIt is a great article.
I don’t apply sunscreen on my skin as well. instead there are a lot of natural oil like shear or cacao butter.Jojoba oil is good as well as it has SPF 4.
Non-Toxic Tuesday: Pain Management « Adding Things Up
April 10, 2012 at 12:33 pm[…] my sunscreen. Did I just hear a collective gasp of shock? I really mean this, my friends. Lori at Laurel of Leaves explains the impact of sunscreen from a natural health perspective better than I could, and Robin […]
Time Keeps on Ticking
July 11, 2012 at 11:50 am[…] So, in an effort to let you know that I am, indeed, still alive, I figured a new recipe was in order. I’m working on a jam-packed post on sunshine (and cancer, toxic chemical sunscreens and the like….) so stay tuned for that. […]
How to Tell if You’re Magnesium Deficient (and What to Do About It)
July 23, 2012 at 5:06 am[…] Soak up the sun. You might remember that I don’t wear sunscreen unless I’m outside for very long periods of time in an area where the sun is stronger than my […]
Kim
August 8, 2012 at 5:51 pmThank you for your research and viewpoint… truly eye opening!
Great work!
Clear Up Acne Now
August 13, 2012 at 1:03 pm[…] out all the great natural beauty tips & articles! (ps-I love that Shannon shares my views on sunscreen. So you know there is great advice on her […]
Kimmy
November 17, 2012 at 12:02 amHi Lori, great article!
I work outside from 6am till 6pm in an open pit (gold mine) in Australia. It gets very hot here (up to 45degrees) in summer and is very rarely cloudy. I tan very easily, should I continue to wear sunscreen? I always thought putting coconut oil on your skin would make you burn?
Diego
November 26, 2012 at 5:02 amI really liked your article, and share the opinion you have on sunscreen. I would advice, however, just for the debate’s purpose, to leave religion out of this. This is a very personal and subjective matter and should not influence a discussion that is escencially scientific.
Jordan
April 9, 2013 at 10:37 pmIm so excited to have found your blog! Excited, but SO confused!! Ive recently been getting more and more sickened by the chemicals. I started the OCM a couple months ago with witch hazel as a toner (though Im about to switch to ACV) and my skin is HORRID. Im determined to stick it out bc I refuse to go back to nasty cleansers, but shew…all the natural information Im getting says what Im doing should be working and its not! Honey…Im 1 week in. 30 min at night and a few min in the morning. Im confused because everything Ive read sys coconut oil clogs pores..?? I just bought some though and my face is already a disaster anyway…so I might just go ahead and give it a try, ha! Looking forward to reading more of your blog!
Marisa
July 3, 2014 at 11:33 pmI am the palest person I know. Like whiter than white. Is there anything in the organic sunscreen that is also harmful? Will coconut oil just make me burn? Also, what guidelines do you suggest when choosing coconut oil?
Silvia
December 29, 2018 at 11:21 pmI don’t wear sunscreen because my doctor said that I don’t have to. I don’t stay in the sun for many hours and I have to get vitamin D. Obviously that if I’ll stay for more than 5 hours straight in the sun I’ll wear sunscreen, I’m not crazy, but in my daily basis it’s not necessary