Sun exposure - do you believe it is as bad as they say?

Another option is to use Jergens Natural Glow. It is a daily moisturize that gradually tans your skin. Since it builds a tan little by little you don't get streaks and the color looks more natural than spray tans and sunless tanners that darken you skin in 3-4 hours.

this stuff works great. It does evenly and slowly work up the nice golden color, and it comes in a shade for lighter skin that gives nice results.

use as much spf as you can, as often as you can, and not only will you be safe from sun damage related cancers, you will look 10-20 years younger then the leatherfaced former tanorexics!!!

If you eat a healthy diet, you do not have to worry about vitamin D deficiency, take your multivitamin and protect your skin...:flowerforyou:

My mom and her sister demonstrate this, one was a tan-aholic, always had a membership to tanning salons, and one wore sunscreen when outside and an spf lotion every day from 25-50 (with fair/regular consistency). They are in actuality only 18 months apart, and they have been asked if the tanned one is the fair one's mother.

My mom looks amazing, I plan to keep on in her tradition and wear my sunscreen too...sun damage repair work is expensive.

There is debate whether sunscreen actually CAUSES skin cancer or prevents it.

No there isn't.

With all due respect, that's dangerous nonsense.

Actually there are some questions with a couple of the ingredients in sunscreen. The big thing about being out in the sun is don't get burnt, that is where you start running into issues with increased likelihood of skin cancer. People have been outdoors for millions of years, although I'm sure back in the day we used to think "hey it is hot out, I should from somewhere shaded and cooler..."

This article by Graeme Thomas presents an interesting counter-viewpoint to the whole "how much sun is enough?" question. I'm not sure I agree with everything he states here, but it is thought-provoking. Keep in mind that he's Canadian, and wrote this article with his light-deprived "great white north" readers in mind. I live in Florida, and I can get plenty of sun year-round.

http://graemethomasonline.com/blinded-by-the-light/

One curious note: I did have a squamous cell carcinoma removed a few years ago. While it's tempting to chalk it up to too many years of sun exposure, to be frank, it was located on my lower backside, in an area that almost NEVER gets any sun (trust me on this one, LOL). Go figure. On the other hand, I used to sunbathe all the time when I was younger and never used sunscreen, and my face is pretty wrinkly for my age. So now I try to get about 15 minutes of sun a day for Vitamin D, and use sunscreen on my face. A happy medium, I guess.

I was wondering what is the worldwide ratio of people who have skin cancer. Is it really that high? Where does the majority of those people come from?

I'm nearly 50 and can pass for 35 easy and i have years and years in the sun in fact i worked out in it every day for 12 years. I don't have aged skin because of the sun in fact we need to expose most of our bodies to it every day to generate are daily dose of Vitamin D. Ultimately cancer is caused by an immune system failure. Our bodies are designed to adapt to your environment as to why we tan. I for once get extremely dark when exposed to alot of sun. As to sunscreen, I see it as poison for our skin just like bug spray is. Alot of people don't realize that our most toxic environment is in the shower where all those chemicals are absorbed into your pours. There is NO EVIDENCE THAT SUNSCREEN PREVENTS SKIN CANCER. Thats enough evidence for me to not put that crap on my skin. Who is to say that the use of sunscreen isn't part of the problem?

There are also smokers who don't develop lung cancer, That doesn't mean smoking doesn't cause lung cancer, just that a few lucky individuals are more resistant to its effects. I work with some of the top oncologists in the world - believe me, there is consensus about sun damage causing cancer, and avoiding sun exposure, or using sunscreen preventing it.

Oups, double post. Sorry

some sun exposure is good for you..and we need it..it helps with vitamin d production.

when it becomes harmful is when we are over exposed to it. those at higher altitudes have less 'atmosphere' for the light waves to filter through have higher chances of skin cancer than those at the sunny beach. given the same amount of sun exposure. not to mention flying in planes the amount of radiation period you're getting.

I have skin issues and my doctor recommended getting my daily dose of sun to cope with it. It felt so good when I started, I didn't realize how little sun I was getting (house to car, car to school, not much time outdoors at all in the winter!) Now my skin rebels if I miss a few days. Sun in moderation has been a great thing for me :happy:

I would say be very careful in the sun. there are other ways to get vitamin d. I have a 4 inch scar on my back from skin cancer, and I have to get checked every 6 months. I use to feel that a little sun wouldn't hurt, and now I know different.

YES YES and YES!!
Down here in NZ you get fried really quickly but when I was in Europe I got sunburnt quite badly even with sunscreen so the northern hemisphere is getting higher UV exposure. I use Neutrogena factor 70 on body and factor 100 on my face as Im on a drug that makes you burn easily.

NZ has a high rate of melanoma and I see the bad effects of it frequently and know of more than 5 people who have died of it in their 40's and 50's. I used to scrub with Australias leading Melanoma surgeon and trust me I could paint you a horrific picture. Secondary melanoma can metastacise in your body and lymph nodes quickly, requiring bowel resections, neck dissections, liver lobectomies or the just open you up heave a sad sigh and close you up as you are terminal...

Everyone who has had sun exposure they should be having yearly mole checkup - yes stripping to underwear with doctor. Or undergo a professional mole mapping service that may just save your life. Note you can even have melanomas on the sole of your feet so dont forget sunscreen down there. Cover up and keep out of midday sun.

Please, please people your health is more important than a tan, and get off those damn tanning beds too!