To think that sunscreen is toxic?

[Pitbull]

Some women proudly say they wear sunscreen every day even in the winter. But isn't it kind of toxic? If you think about it sunscreen is loaded with chemicals. The ingredient list is full of long, unpronounceable names. Why would you wear it on your face all the time? When I put spf on my face when it's really hot and sunny I obviously avoid the eye and mouth area. Yet, within about twenty minutes my eyes start watering, and I feel a toxic chemical taste in my mouth. Which means it seeps through my pores deeper into the skin and some of it gets into the bloodstream, and via the blood vessels they go everywhere. Yuk. Why would you wear a toxic mix on your face every day?

Lots of people citing nicotine patches etc as proof that our skin absorbs everything. But it's actually extremely rare to find a medication made up of molecules tiny enough to be able to be absorbed through the skin. Otherwise diabetics could just wear a patch instead of having daily injections, people could use patches instead of pills etc. And as a PP said, we'd all puff up from absorbing our bath water

Sunscreens are designed to evaporate quickly, which is why you have to reapply often. Why bother?

There are some barmy comments on this thread. The increase in skin cancers might just be related to the increase in travel to sunnier foreign climes, the popularity of getting a tan and the depletion of the ozone layer. But some prefer to think protecting yourself from the risk is a government conspiracy?!

Tinkerbec "Poisoning myself tonight with dihydrogen oxide tonight by that thought process."

The terrifying thing with that stuff is that If you dilute it makes it worse! You end up with even more! It shouldn't be allowed.

I can't find the study but if you google red hair and vit D there's a few articles
Essentially redheads struggle to absorb enough but can produce their own vitamin D and in much lower light conditions than any other hair colour so much less likely to be deficient

Some stuff with links here
https://healthdonenaturally.wordpress.com/2016/02/18/advantage-of-having-red-hair/

There are chemical free sunscreens available

No there aren't, NoDramas

If you've found a chemical free sunscreen product, I suggest checking out Snickers link ASAP.

Ok, not chemical free, wrong wording, I should have said free from harmful chemicals or those known to cause harm, of which some, not all, are absorbed. And as PP said, of which the cumulative effect is unknown.

Fair enough (and apologies for being a smartarse)

I do worry about sunscreen, and cosmetics generally, although I use makeup. I react to most of the chemical sunscreen agents, so can't use them (have a thread going about this at the mo), and yet the physical ones have nano-particles which are contentious and which are apparently toxic to marine life, as are suncreams generally. I don't wear sunscreen on my body when in the sea, I usually wear a wetsuit or a rash vest instead. I do wear sunscreen on my face if I'm going to be outside (other than in Winter) as I am very pale and burn really easily, and my Dad had one of the thankfully less nasty types of skin cancer. I've read about nano particles building up in the liver or crossing the blood brain barrier, and it really freaks me out but I never know how seriously to take the information? Zinc oxide has been used for many decades in the thick white pasty form, but probably only on noses etc. Now we have nano zinc and nano titanium dioxide, are they a worry? I'd really like to know. I stopped using the powder sunscreen I used to use on my face, because titanium dioxide inhaled is a definite lung cancer risk, and some must get inhaled when dusting it all over one's face. The Indy published something a few months ago about titanium dioxide when swallowed possibly causing bowel cancers (research in rats is showing a high rate of gut cancers), according to the Independant article, new research is about to be published. Titanium dioxide is in all sorts of makeup, including lipstick, which obviously gets swallowed. It is also in icing, sweets, some chocolate, labelled as E171. It is concerning I agree. Yet I don't want to give up lipstick. All the "natural" sunscreens and makeup have things like zinc, or titanium dioxide in, so it isn't as simple as switching to a "natural" product. I use the minimum on my dds, taking them to the beach later in the day.

But isn't it kind of toxic? If you think about it sunscreen is loaded with chemicals. The ingredient list is full of long, unpronounceable names

Ye gods. There is no talking to stupid, is there?

wowfudge re are some barmy comments on this thread. The increase in skin cancers might just be related to the increase in travel to sunnier foreign climes, the popularity of getting a tan and the depletion of the ozone layer. But some prefer to think protecting yourself from the risk is a government conspiracy?!

There's always one who has to start talking sense.

It's almost like you think the govt isn't out to get us with their edumacation, and chemtrails and their vaxxes (microchips, just saying ) and their rulz - you'll be laughing on the other side of your face when they reveal their true lizard identities.

There's not much point using sunscreen in the winter as between early October and mid March the UV levels are almost always too low to cause burning or damage or indeed Vitamin D production. Unless you have a particular condition that makes you very sensitive to the sun (albinism or severe burns etc) I don't think the majority of people need to bother. But if it's easier to use an SPF 15 face cream all year why not? There's no benefit to not using it either.

I'll admit I haven't read the full thread so this has almost certainly been said many times already but...

...EVERYTHING IS CHEMICALS.

filled with long, unpronounceabe names
You could say the same thing about the Polish phone book.

BigDamnHero EVERYTHING IS CHEMICALS

Yes, technically that's true, but does it need to be that way? Just imagine, an Earth without chemicals - like it used to be, none of this chemical nonsense when I wor a lass..

Oops, um, ok, might need to think that through some more, as you were.

It is anti science to ignore evidence based medicine such as the protection from sunscreen.

However it is also not anti science to question what we know and what we do. This is how science evolves

For example evidence of the link between vit d and many diseases is growing.
I think it is also interesting how our exposure to the sun has changed in the last 100 years and what this means for skin cancer etc. A slow build up of sun exposure between march and October has been replaced by short holidays and sunbeds.

Further research on things like these will affect recommendations on sun safety. Maybe nothing will need to change or maybe it will.
But it is certainly not stupid or anti science to ask if wearing sunscreen every day is a good idea.

For example evidence of the link between vit d and many diseases is growing.

May I ask what you mean? Do you mean lack of vit d or...?

What sun cream are you using OP?

Yes I mean lack of vit d. As a population many people are vitamin d deficient. There are theories around vit d and autoimmune diseases eg ms. Still at a relatively early stage and requires more research but certainly it's worth investigating.

I can't understand why people would knowingly put sunscreen on in the winter in the UK. Ok, foundation has an SPF of 15, but to actually apply sunscreen when there's no chance of burning and actively stopping getting some natural vitamin D seems strange to me.

I'm a redhead with blue eyes, so I'm allegedly ok for vitamin D. I stay in the shade on hot days, after letting myself have ten minutes in the sun, then ten minutes later on in the day. If I'm out walking on a sunny day I lather myself in sunscreen.

You've obviously never been to Australia.

Sunscreen is irrefutably better than the alternative.

MarmotMorning

Ah, good. I take vitamin D supplements (I work inside....) and was like... no, did I miss something?

Also lack of sun does not mean lack of UV. For example, it's well known that you should always wear sunscreen when skiing/snowboarding.

Almostfifty

I thought we couldn't synthesise vitamin D in the UK in the wintermonths anway? (I may be wrong...)