Sun, an important source that is vital for our very own existence is blamed for the cause of skin cancer for the past few decades. Today, many of us don’t step out in the sun without applying sunscreen lotion on our body. You might have come across various advertisements that proclaim that over-exposure to the sun can cause cancer. But is it really true or is it widespread propaganda of the sunscreen and cosmetic manufacturers. Let’s find out who is the real cause of skin cancer!
The invention of the Modern Day Sunscreen
Let’s begin with where it all started. The first modern-day sunscreen to ever be made is credited to a Swiss chemist called Franz Greater. The cream had an SPF of power 2 that inspired a company called “Piz Buin” to buy the formula.
In the US, the patent is credited to a pharmacist named Benjamin Green whose product was used by the US military in WWII to protect soldiers against the overexposure from the sun. Many years later the patent was bought by a company called “Coppertone” which introduced the popular sunscreen products in the US markets in the early 1950s.
During the era of 1970s, newspapers repeatedly published several articles that showed how overexposure to the sun can cause cancer and how the sunscreen lotions can protect you from getting skin cancer. The more the advertisements of sunscreen cream featured in the leading newspapers, the more the sun was tainted as the cause of cancer.
Sunscreen lotion companies advertised the benefits of applying the cream that included protection from the overexposure to the sun, reduced chances of occurring melanoma disease.
Melanoma is indeed a deadly form of skin cancer but it accounts for less than 2% of the total skin cancer cases.
The Logic
What’s interesting here is that the modern-day sunscreen was unknown to the humankind until the 20th century.
So, going by that logic, millions of people must have died in the past thousands of years due to the deadly melanoma. And if that really would have happened, it would not have gone unreported.
The fact is that there are no such known accounts of deaths due to the melanoma or due to the overexposure from the sun.
This fact should be an area of research for sunscreen manufacturers as how humankind lived for thousands of years when humans were still hunting in broad daylight, all day long!
It is interesting to note that the UV radiation is highest in the equatorial region but still melanoma is quite an uncommon disease for the people living near the equatorial regions!
In fact, scientific studies have proven, how exposure to the sun produces vitamin D and mood-elevating chemicals in our body. But when the skin is overexposed to the sun, it turns red and that is the time one should go indoors.
On the contrary, the sunscreen lotion blocks our ability to produce Vitamin D from the sunlight. It is a widely accepted fact that how vitamin D is beneficial for our health. So, sunscreen creams are actually preventing our skin to produce vitamin D.
Sunscreen creams contain harmful chemicals that damage the endocrine system and also affect our heart and liver functions negatively. The sunscreen lotions have UV absorbing properties that release harmful free radicals that enter our bloodstream and cause damage. In fact, a single application lasts up to two days which is pretty long exposure to chemicals
The Reason of propaganda
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The answer is very simple to answer. It is all about making tons of money. By creating a sense of fear, these cosmetic companies have been successful in scaring the masses and have established a false notion about the sun.
So how you can protect yourself against the sun's overexposure?
Well, humans have that knowledge for centuries but due to the media propaganda, not many people are aware of how to protect the skin in a natural way.
A healthy lifestyle that consists of lots of vitamin C and antioxidants will fight any negative impact of sunburn
However, if your work requires you to stay in the sun for a longer duration then you should consider wearing protective clothing that covers your body. Apart from that applying natural and mineral sunscreen like
- Coconut oil that has an SPF of 4 − 5
- Red Raspberry oil has higher SPF that will allow staying outdoors for long.
Carrot seed oil and Almond oil will also help prevent you from getting sunburned.
Conclusion
It is not the sun that is causing the skin cancer but the sunscreen lotion that is loaded with many hazardous chemicals that will do the damage in the long run
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