“Suncream causes cancer…”

[dillydally79]

I have just read this headline as Kelsey Parker has supposedly stated this during a recent podcast.

I have never heard this before, but i am consciously trying to make healthy changes in other areas of mine and my kids lives so I am interested. Anyone know more? I’ve never really thought about this before as I just think of suncream as a necessity, but is it??

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.

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…

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.

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?

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.

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.

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’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.

OP the number of totally unqualified people making absurd claims is only beaten by the number of gullible people believing them.
coconut oil gives an spf of 1-3
beeswax about an spf of 2-3
abd that’s if you layer a thick coating.

hey. You do you but I’m going with the biochemists and cancer specialists who recommend a properly regulated and formulated product that has undergone rigorous testing and has proven sun protection.

For my body I use Australian products. They know skin cancer. They know what works.

for my face I use Korean products unless I’m on holiday in the sun where I’ll swap to Australian.

and a full shot glass for my body and a quarter teaspoon for my face

i grew up in a skin cancer hotspot. I don’t mess around with coconut oils, beeswax or any other random ingredient.

A typical ehite cotton t-shirt gives between a dog of 5-10 depending on density.

fine for many occasions but not enough for others

According to my observation, most people don’t use enough sunscreen (no, 1 tablespoon of sunscreen is NOT going to be enough for your whole body, it’s only enough for your face and neck)and once they apply it, they think they are invincible under the killer radiation of the unforgiving sun somewhere in Mykonos during an August heatwave. Plus they don’t reapply it often.

Read my comment above. What you use is a ridiculously low amount of sunscreen. You’ll need more.

Why don’t you put sunscreen in those places? I wear factor 50 nearly every day on my face, including on my eyelids. That’s a bizarre choice not to make! It’s easy to put it on the top of your ears too.

You don't what's best for you OP but maybe stop spreading this utter bollocks all over the Internet......

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.

I don't know anyone who doesn't put suncream on those places. I close my eyes and put Factor 50 on my entire face, neck, behind my eyes and all in my ears. I work outdoors and never come home burnt.

No, it doesn't.. But not using it does increase your rsik of skin cancer.

Her husband died of cancer so I wouldn't judge her too harshly, she's probably terrified of anything which is a possible carcinogenic and has heard stuff about suncream. But agree she shouldn't spread misinformation on a podcast. I have heard that you're supposed to use zinc based suncream now or something but I haven't looked too much into it.

Not read the full thread.
There are chemical and mineral sun screens. Some people believe that the chemical ones which are designed to be absorbed dont actually protect you effectively (plus some people feel its unhealthy for the body to absorb the chemicals). The mineral ones sit on the skin so form an actual layer over the skin.
Plus, you get the UVB and UVA and not all sun creams effectively address both.
Then , people dont apply them properly or dont understand what Factor 50 etc means.

You cant just throw any old cream on first thing in the morning and think you're grand for the rest of the day.

I am slightly sceptical about sunscreen as I have two friends whose DC have smeared it over their cars resulting in damage to the paintwork requiring the panels to be resprayed.

Ozzie dermatologists have been saying the same things for years - it’s the chemical sunscreen that has a chemical reaction when exposed to the hot sun and there have been many horrendous injuries caused to children and adults from it. Mineral sunscreen is fine but the chemicals in the normal sunscreen have caused 3rd degree burns when people have been exposed to it

Not to derail the thread but have seen some people saying about mineral sunscreen and wonder which one they use? I tried one a whole back but it came off in bits on my face and looked awful.

I ask because for the past 3 years I wore SPF 50, a la roche posay one and it has made my melasma significantly worse so I'm changing to a mineral one.

Unless your skin is made of metal, I don't think it's remotely relevant.

I have multiple chemical sensitivity and allergy to zinc too and can’t use sunscreen with chemicals and zinc in but the Korean mineral ones that don’t contain any of that lot I’m absolutely fine with - have you tried them? Zero reactions to me and they also sink in without that horrible greasy nastiness

I wonder how much of the suncream causes cancer thought is due to age?

Im mid 40s. In my experience, my generation regularly got sunburn in 80s. Suncream wasn't really thought about unless maybe you were lucky enough to go abroad. However, we have had a lot of education since then and a lot of us are more aware of the aging effects so are more conscious of using it (unlike earlier generations naybe). Also a lot of the cosmetics aimed at our age group have spf in them. So we were burned as kids (high risk) and now use lots of sun cream. Unfortunately this age group is also an age group where certain cancers are more likely. So you could see an empirical argument there. I dont agree with it but I could see people's thought process.

I'm not sure I've explained it well but I hope you can see what Im getting at.

Tell you what has been 100% proven to cause cancer….too much exposure to sunlight……

As a fair skinned person who burns easily I will take my chances wearing sunscreen thanks!

(and yes if you burn easily it does make a difference whether you wear spf 15 or 50, and “gradual exposure” to the sun doesn’t work if your skin doesn’t tan!)