“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??

Does ultra sun £28 in boots save people from melanoma when it has just been tested and failed!

My gut tells me this is hyper inflated, over marketed cream. At best, does nothing. At worst - apparently messing with the endocrine system in regards to oestrogen. Increased oestrogen has been proven to cause cancer. These studies were on mice granted. They won’t want to do there studies on humans. A large amount of money would be lost.

I have spent thousands on bottles of what I thought were trusted brands of spf. Particular for my face. I have been feeling really ill for a while. I got referred to a gastroenterologist who has actually written to my GP basically telling them off, how often does that happen, as my vitamin D levels are 13. Apparently that can cause extreme symptoms which I have been experiencing.

Is being pale truly healthy?

everyone in the uk is advised to take vitamin D over winter

@CareerChange24 your levels wouldn't be that low if you were supplementing Vitamin D as you're supposed to do if you live in the UK.

Two thoughts. This has been an ongoing thing in America, hand in hand with seed oils. I would approach 'suncream causes cancer' with extreme caution.

I have extremely pale skin, naturally. Like milk bottle white. Holidays without sun cream as a child= awful sunburn, every time. Why would anyone wish that on a child?

Have you ever had a child? One that plays outside, plays sports. swims in the sea?

I rarely use it unless I have no choice.

I'm very fair skinned and you'll find me well out of the sun if at all possible. If it's not then I'm well covered up and do use cream. The skin is very permeable and the chemical sunscreens are going to be absorbed into the body. We don't yet know the long term effects of that so it's a risk I want to reduce to a minimum.

I don't have time to read the full thread so perhaps someone has already mentioned this, but...

Many suncreams use a chemical called octocrylene as a sunscreen. Octocrylene breaks down over time into benzophenone. Benzophenone, which is readily absorbed by the skin, is a known carcinogen. So, you could certainly argue that older bottles of suncream have the potential to cause cancer.

You can reduce this risk if you buy smaller quantities of suncream and use it up quickly, rather than keeping bottles for several years.

I do take a vitamin D supplement. High strength from a reputable shop. There is possibly a reason I’m not absorbing vitamin D. However, I never go in the sun and I’m slathered in spf. It’s drilled into us. Stay out of the sun. Wear spf. Would I be as bad if I’d not listened? If spf is only beneficial, studies should be robust enough to show that. I think questioning whether a product is safe is fair and I’ve noticed a lot of skin influencers poo pooing anyone who does as crazy conspiracy theorists. Well my mum doused herself in Johnson’s baby powder and got ovarian cancer. Coincidence? Possibly - but just because something is sold. Doesn’t make it safe

I use Aveeno baby spf50 zinc oxide sunscreen - it’s about £15 a bottle on Amazon

It’s the only one I’ve ever used that doesn’t sting my eyes like a bastard.

I've been using coppertone sport mineral sunscreen. It takes some sinking in but did far better in the Caribbean sun than anything I've bought from the UK. I bought it over there so not sure how readily available it is in the UK.

I'd be interested to know what Korean sunscreen @Nearly50omguses. I use erborean cc cream which is fab and heard other good things about Korean skin care

A tablespoon is only enough for your face and neck?? I don’t think a tablespoon would properly rub into my face and neck all in one go, that’s loads. Do you mean a desert spoon?

errr stay covered up or out of the sun…who is wishing sunburn on anyone…seriously!

It's not even faintly practical to keep children out of the sun all the time and we need sunshine for vitamin D.
Children run around with shorts and short sleeved t shirts on. Some kids have sunsuits, but not all. Probably not older children/teenagers.
No one should believe I was wishing sunburn on anyone, sun cream has been very effective in preventing sunburn. Sunburn is extremely painful and dangerous.
Lots of people saying cover up, stay out of the sun but this is Mumsnet. I'm assuming some of you at least have children/older children and go on holiday to sunny places.

Do you know how much a tablespoon is?

That’s what I mean when I say that people don’t use enough sunscreen. You need much more than you think. If your skin already soaked it up, that’s too bad. I know if you put enough you’ll look greasy but I rather look like that than walk around with hardly enough on me. Trust me, most people have no idea how much we actually need.

No you've gone the much worse faux innocence bollocks 🙄

I get through a lot of sunscreen. But a tablespoon for your face is ridiculous.

The NHS says 6-8 teaspoons for your whole body, and the British Association of Dermatologists says half a teaspoon for your face.
To calculate SPF factor, it is tested at 2milligrams per cm2 of skin (which is roughly where the volumes recommended by NHS and BAD come from).

I said a tablespoon for face AND neck.
Btw google ‘most people don’t apply enough sunscreen’ and read the results. I actually cringe when I see someone rubbing a pea-sized amount on their face, believing they are protected 😕

I can agree that most people don’t apply enough, and also think that a tablespoon for your face and neck is excessive.

And to clarify, the British association of dermatologist recommendation was half a teaspoon for face and neck. So unless they’re out by a factor of 6 (3 teaspoons in a tablespoon), you don’t need a tablespoon for your face and neck. That’s just an expensive waste.

I'm especially enjoying the people who are so concerned about the "chemicals" in sunscreen and highly recommend a zinc sunscreen instead. That famous non-chemical zinc...not in the periodic table or anything...

It's behind ears that cancer is usually found

Why are you airing this moronic theory?

We now know that we have ingested microplastics and phalates due to drinking and eating things out of plastic containers. We now know these chemicals cause hormone changes in the body. It is important to keep upto date with new info as it comes out. I don't think this is being a conspiracy theorist, it's wanting to know what we are doing to our bodies. As someone who is as pale as a ghost I will continue to use my spf 50 as the risks of me getting skin cancer are higher than the average person. Im not going to dismiss people questioning the chemicals in it though I think it's very valid

I think you need to delve into the data more. The majority of people who get skin cancers are older and from a generation when it wasn't used. I lost two relatives to melanoma and they did not slap the sunscreen on at all. The problem is people spending more time in the sun trying to get a tan. This wasn't a thing before the 1950s or 60s as people covered up generally.

However, I kind of agree with your point about chemical usage but think it applies also to moisturiser, cleansers, perfumes etc. We are covering our bodies in all sorts of things we don't need.

They didn't though. I'm 50 and people a few years older than me actually put oil on their skin to "tan" more - so burn
.
Generally if you read something which sounds like bollacks, it is bollacks.