“Suncream causes cancer…”

I’m surprised everyone is so adamant that it’s bollocks.

It is certainly preferable to cover skin with a fabric than to use sun cream. obviously this isn’t practical for some areas/times.

Some sun cream contains nano particles, the full/long term effects of which are not known.

That said, I do wear sunscreen, but limit the use of it. IMO it’s not something to slather willy nilly, it’s something to use carefully.

Fair skinned people wouldn't be out in the sun if there wasn't suncream. Or they would cover up, seek shade etc.

So as they are now in the sun and as suncream doesn't cover your whole body (eg eyelids, back of ears etc) than there is the statistic that wouldn't have got cancer because they wouldn't be in the sun as much.

But the argument that suncream ingredients leading to cancer doesn't seem right when we are all driving around in our cars breathing in those car fumes.

I have recently switched all of our sunscreen because of this. As I understand, a lot of sunscreens use a chemical called Octocrylene, which is ok in this form. However when it breaks down it converts to benzophenone, of which there is evidence to suggest it is a carcinogen (NCBI has studies on this). I believe octocrylene breaks down in moisture (eg sweat). We have switched to a mineral based product, where the active ingredient is zinc oxide.

yuka is a pretty good app (although not 100% reliable) to scan the barcodes on food and skincare products to check for harmful ingredients.

My neighbour has used sunscreen (the highest available to her at any time) from the moment it was available.

She is 87 and looks in her late 50's.

Don't listen to conspiracy nutjobs. Hell, even the oxygen you are breathing right now is 'carcinogenic' if you want to embrace full batshit lunacy.

Can you please cite your sources for this information as I’d love to read them? A research paper, for example.

Do you also believe that batshit lady who randomly claimed that sunglasses cause skincare because your eyes don’t know it’s sunny? And she was debunked over and over because that’s not how the bodies response to sun works yet people still repeat it?

As I’ve just posted, the ride is due to diagnoses of older people who didn’t use sunscreen as kids. You get burned repeatedly as a child and the cancer shows as an adult.

The problem is, when you glean things from social media you only hear what they want you to hear. You have to do your own research. Then you will learn it’s the 70+ group, who have never worn sunscreen, who are developing melanoma.

It’s because skin cancer has increased by a large percentage, however apparently it’s because the older generation are now getting/being treated for it because they didn’t wear sun cream when they were younger. Supposedly the damage is done when you’re a child and revealed itself in later life.

So this idiot’s kids may have something to say to their mother when they’re older…

Oh, ffs, some dumb influencer spouting stupid crap for attention. My husband suffered from skin cancer caused by sun damage to his skin as a child when suncream was not really around. He has had several bits chopped out and endured some incredibly painful treatment. Put suncream on your children and keep their sun exposure to a minimum.

I think that some people, when a loved one has cancer, get drawn into a lot of online stuff around potential causes. I wouldn’t be surprised if she read a lot about her husband’s fatal cancer, and you’ll always be able to find something online telling you about how something environmental or and everyday thing/food/product could have caused it.

It’s been said for years. I remember a colleague at work telling me I shouldn’t be wearing it , I’m as white as a milk bottle , he had the same skin tone as Usain Bolt well he was slightly darker skinned. I ignored him, mainly because he was constantly coming out with similar bollocks.

so an influencer has come out and stated that! Where is her scientific evidence? How is she qualified enough to make that bold statement?! She’s an idiot to say that.

suncream has prevented millions of cases of cancer etc! I’m hating these influencers who think they can dish out medical advice. Leave it to the pros!

There’s some truth to this. Behaviours sometimes cause unintended consequences

I use a zinc oxide based sunscreen on my face as it’s the only one that doesn’t make my eyes sting and stream.

30% of cancers are in those aged over 74

maybe there are increases in other age groups but the majority is due to ageing population

My mother was diagnosed with aggressive melanoma last year, cut out and all clear until last week when we discovered it’s back. Please don’t underestimate the dangers of not using sunscreen.

I read that sunscreen is carsinogenic last summer but numerous sources have either debunked it or said that it's much preferable to use than not.

I did notice last summer a prevalence of mineral based sunscreen in the shops so I wouldn't be surprised if this sort of information isn't the beauty industry inventing more problems to sell you more expensive products. I did buy a mineral face sunscreen by accident though and I will say it's excellent.

Cancer rates are rising in general because fewer people die prematurely from other causes and more people are living longer to develop cancers in later life. There are specific trends with specific cancers, some increasing, some decreasing.

The hole in the ozone layer increasing UV strength wasn't known about until the mid-80s. People in middle age or older developing skin cancers now would have had limited access to effective suncreams in their youth and it can take decades for the extent of that UV damage to be revealed and felt. It is not proof that current suncreams are ineffective or dangerous.

Suncream standards in the UK/ EU are different to the USA. The descriptors and ingredients differ, so criticism from US sources isn't automatically applicable to British/ European products even if it's true.

Managing sun exposure by covering up, wearing hats, seeking shade and managing timings are valid, useful ways of managing sun exposure, but using high protection suncream is still an important tool in reducing sun damage.

Ah so this is where it's come from. Another mum friend told me last week that suncream now causes cancer so she isn't using it this summer on her DC. She has also trotted out a load of other nonsense in the past, mainly based on ill informed social media gossip, so I just said I would still be using it and changed the subject.

This. Honestly the stupidity is actually breathtaking

Influencers spouting shite. What else is new.

That’s exactly what it is.

From this website: https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-science-of-sunscreen#:~:text=No.,to%20sunnier%20climates%20and%20sunbathing.
”These conclusions come incorrectly from studies where individuals who used sunscreen had a higher risk of skin cancer, including melanoma. This false association was made because the individuals who used sunscreen were the same ones who were traveling to sunnier climates and sunbathing. In other words, it was the high amounts of sun exposure, not the sunscreen, that elevated their risk of skin cancer.”

plus the fact there have been some sunscreens withdrawn due to containing carcinogens - but they were trace amounts, and not an ingredient. But headlines like that, combined with poorly understood research, can definitely create an idea that sunscreen is harmful (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jul/15/johnson-and-johnson-sunscreen-recall-benzene)

I think this is part of it - I see my own fairhaired 18yo dc spending far longer than me in the sun wearing far less but it’s ok because they’ve got sun screen on.

Whereas sweaty menopausal 50yo me seeks shade, wears loose cover up clothing and still uses the same sun screen.

So I don’t think sun screen causes skin cancer but I do think it can cause behaviours that increase the risks.

I also think there's a strong possibility that suncream has indirectly lead to an increase in skin Cancers. Before suncream was so readily available, people had to stay out of the sun/cover up otherwise they'd burn and be in pain. Now you can stay out all day, apparently safely, but we don't really know that having a barrier that stops us from burning/aging avoids the other risks. Also suncream encourages sunbathing and "managed" tanning/skin damage.

From soemone who burns easily and quickly, there's a very big difference.

Isn't it more likely that people stay out too long because they have sun cream on and it's that causing the cancer rather than the sun cream itself?