It's easy to think that slathering on sunscreen will make you practically invulnerable to skin cancer. Those evil rays will just bounce off you. The manufacturers of these products don't exactly go out of their way to let you know that this isn't the case.
Most sunscreens only block the ultraviolet rays known as UVB, which cause sunburn and, in the long term, some skin cancer. But they do very little, next to nothing, to filter out the longer UVA rays, which also trigger skin cancer (in fact, UVA is probably more likely to do so). In other words, while you are prevented from being fried like a lobster, other rays that cause serious long-term health problems are pounding your skin unabated.
Often, wearing sunscreen only makes things worse, because people tend to stay outside longer when they think they're protected by coconut-scented body armor. Thus, they drink up more of the killer UVA.
And let's not forget that it's absolutely crucial for us to get Vitamin D, which is formed when our bods are exposed UVB, the very wavelength being stopped in its tracks by sunscreen. Among other things, D protects against some cancers, including breast and colon.
To drive another nail into sunscreen's coffin, be aware that when you use it, you're smearing loads of chemicals, some toxic, onto your skin, which drinks them up like soda and pipes them right into your body.
So what's a Sun worshiper to do? Ditch the lotions altogether. Spend small amounts of time in the Sun until your skin acclimates and you're able to stay exposed longer — an hour a day — without turning red. If you have to be outside longer, use clothing and things like beach umbrellas to keep the excess rays off your skin.
Dr. Joseph Mercola boils it down:
“The key is to never burn.”
