Sunscreen has been around for ages and is the recommended way of protecting your skin from the sun. The media is aggressively advertising different sunscreens, yet blocking out the sun isn’t the best way of preventing sunburns. We need sunlight as it provides the body with vitamin D, which can protect us from serious ailments such as obesity and cancer. Blocking the synthetization of vitamin D won’t do any good for our health, which makes sunscreen obsolete.
Furthermore, several studies have shown that sunrays are not responsible for skin cancer – it might actually be the sunscreen. One study conducted at the University of Manitoba showed that all the ingredients in popular sunscreens are entering the body, which means that they’re flooding it with chemicals and toxins that could harm our health.
Another study showed that sunscreen contains powerful hormone disruptors such as parabens, triclosan, oxybenzone, phthalates, etc., which have all been related to different types of cancer.
Now, the question is the sunscreen industry aware of this? You can bet they are – after all, it wasn’t such as long time ago when Johnson & Johnson were found guilty of putting a cancer-causing chemical in their baby powder, and the same goes about sunscreen. Getting a normal sunscreen or other product for your baby’s skin can be tiring, and finding the perfect one is almost impossible. There are many studies which have linked popular baby products to serious ailments, which puts even the simplest choice in question.
Here are a few examples of the chemicals found in sunscreen:
Oxybenzone
Oxybenzone is among the most disturbing ingredients used in sunscreen. This chemical can absorb UV-light, but has also been related to hormone disruption and cellular damage. Oxybenzone can penetrate the skin and mimic estrogen, triggering allergic reactions and a host of other problems. Although there’s not much data on it, high concentrations of oxybenzone can cause endometriosis (especially in older women) and make pregnant women deliver underweight babies.
Several studies have examined oxybenzone’s effects on our health and have found disturbing data. Oxybenzone is a powerful hormone disruptor which can cause numerous health problems and inhibit cell growth. It prevents the DNA synthesis as well, and accelerates the development of cancerous cells. Even the famous Dr. Mercola admits that oxybenzone and other chemicals found in sunscreen can accelerate the development of cancer cells.
Fragrance
Just like parabens, triclosan and phthalates, fragrance has also been related to different types of skin cancer.
Limited sun exposure can actually protect you from cancer
Sunlight isn’t as harmful as advertised. In fact, limited sunlight exposure could protect you from skin cancer. We need sunlight in order for our bodies to synthesize vitamin D. Sunburns are a concern and may cause melanoma, but due to advertising and other factors and the fact that we use sunscreen way too often, our skin has become less resistant to sunlight. We are built to receive it, yet we’ve gone a few steps back in this regard. Protecting yourself from sunburns can be done with natural sunscreens such as coconut oil, although you won’t hear the media say it.
Only 10% of cancer cells can be attributed to radiation, and UV radiation is just a small part of it. Everyone blames the sun for skin cancer, but arsenic, pesticides and leather preservatives can also be held accountable. Sunscreens block only a small portion of the sunlight and allow the penetration of many toxins and chemicals in our bodies which are accelerating the development of cancer cells and harming our health on many levels.
Healthier sunscreen alternatives
If you must buy sunscreen, make sure to get one without the aforementioned chemicals. Sunscreens which contain zinc and titanium work best, but the best protection from sunlight is staying in the shade and wearing appropriate clothes. Sunscreen will block the absorption of vitamin D from the sun, which is another big problem as our body requires it for many functions.
Coconut oil has an SPF of around 8, which means it can help. Furthermore, coconut oil will also keep your skin hydrated and prevent sunburns to a degree. For even better results, you can mix natural sunscreens and coconut oil to prevent your skin from burning in the sun. Here’s a short video which will show you the difference between natural skin care and store-bought sunscreen:
Article and image source: educateinspirechange.org
