Sunscreen: The Truth

From Tanning & Natural Health News Does Sunscreen Cause Cancer? What The Media And The Doctors Won't Tell You

At Tan Plus, we believe it is always best to achieve a tan gradually to prevent burning and without applying sunscreen, so as not to deprive the body of the suns' many health benefits. When you use sunscreen your body is absorbing synthetic chemicals, and with the "so called" experts' recommendations to apply generous amounts of the product every few hours, you will likely be absorbing a fair amount. While the FDA classifies most active ingredients in sunscreen as GRASE (generally regarded as safe and effective), we have found it hard to believe that all of these chemicals will not have any effect on your system at some point. The truth is "what you put on your skin will eventually end up in your bloodstream".

Both my wife and I are in our mid-sixties and never in our lives have used a sunscreen or sunblock. We have tanned indoors, year round, since 1982 with no indications and without fear of getting skin cancer. We have never had the need for prescription medications and attribute our good health to diet and responsible tanning practices. Is it merely a coincidence that sunscreen sales have skyrocketed and so has skin cancer? In addition, sunscreen has been added to make-up and most skincare products. If sunscreen was such a miracle potion, shouldn't skin cancer have been irradiated by now?

The evidence against most sunscreen ingredients has been mounting. A vitamin A compound, retinyl palmitate, found in 41 percent of sunscreens, is finally being investigated by the FDA. The FDA's data suggests that retinyl palmitate may be photocarcinogenic, meaning that in the presence of the sun's ultraviolet rays, the compound and skin undergo complex biochemical changes resulting in cancer. Another sunscreen chemical, oxybenzone, a hormone-disrupting compound that penetrates the skin and enters the bloodstream, has been detected by the Centers of Disease Control in the bodies of 97 percent of Americans tested.

Since the opening of Tan Plus in 1987, I have been an outspoken critic of sunscreen use and more recently, spray-tanning due to the chemicals applied to the skin. As the evidence keeps mounting against sunscreen chemicals, doctors and the media keep pushing for more use of these potentially cancer-causing lotions. It's unlikely you will get the truth from the media. The commercials on T.V. and the magazine ads should be an obvious indicator of why. The media, both electronic and print, is funded significantly by the multi-billion dollar cosmetic industry. If they choose to take these sunscreen makers to task, they will kiss millions of advertising income goodbye. So, expect more negative, unfounded attacks against the tanning industry to continue as a way of creating a diversion away from the real cause of skin cancer, readily available and comes in a tube or a bottle.

Ray Allard
Tan Plus/ Essentials Of Life

Read More:

Sunscreen: What You're Not Supposed To Know
(2011) Ask somebody about sunscreen and you're likely to receive an earful of disinformation from a person who has been repeatedly misinformed by health authorities and the mainstream media. Almost nothing you hear about sunscreen from traditional media channels is accurate. So here's a quick guide to the 7 most important things you need to know about sunscreen, sunlight and vitamin D. More...

Overuse Of Sunscreen Causes Rickets
(2011) A 12-year-old girl living on the Isle of Wright in southern Britain developed a severe vitamin D deficiency verging on rickets because her mother never let her go outside without sunscreen on. More...

Sunscreen Chemicals Found In Human Samples
(2010) An investigation conducted in the context of the Swiss National Research Programme (NRP50), Endocrine Disrupters: Relevance to Humans, Animals and Ecosystems, demonstrates for the first time that internal exposure of humans to cosmetic UV filters (sunscreen chemicals) is widespread. More...

Sun Protection Linked To D Deficiency
(2010) Patients with basal cell nevus syndrome, which predisposes them to develop non-melanoma skin cancers, appear to be at increased risk for vitamin D deficiency if they take steps to protect themselves from sunlight. More...

Sunscreen Nanoparticles May Cause Skin Cancer
(2010) Sunscreens made with nanoparticles may cause serious bodily harm, a report from Friends of the Earth has warned. "Consumers need to know that manufactured nanoscale zinc and titanium oxides are not the only choice and are not necessarily the most effective or safest choice for sun protection," the report reads. More...

Are You Allergic To Sunscreen?...
(2010) What happens to sunscreens when they are exposed to sunlight? And how is the skin affected by the degradation products that form? This has been the subject of research at the University of Gothenburg and Chalmers University of Technology that will be presented at the upcoming dermatologist conference in Gothenburg. More...

Only 8 Percent of Sunscreens Recommended ...
(2010) The fourth annual Sunscreen Guide by Environmental Working Group (EWG) gives low marks to the current crop of sunscreen products, with a few notable exceptions. EWG researchers recommend only 39, or 8 percent, of 500 beach and sport sunscreens on the market this season. More...

Why Don't I Have Skin Cancer? ...
(2002) Considering my lifestyle of sun exposure growing up and the past 25 years of indoor tanning exposures, one would think that I should be, at least, concerned about contracting skin cancer. After all, I have completely ignored any and all recommendations concocted by the "medical experts" and propelled by the news media. More...

Study: Americans Contaminated By Sunscreen ...
(2008) The Food and Drug Administration, again, has failed in its duty to protect the public from toxic chemicals like oxybenzone. Caving to the industry lobbyists, the agency has delayed final sunscreen safety standards for nearly 30 years. More...

Sunscreens Found Toxic If Digested ...
(2010) Some sunscreens contain nanoparticles of zinc oxide. "Unintended exposure to nano-sized zinc oxide from children accidentally eating sunscreen products is a typical public concern, motivating the study of the effects of nanomaterials in the colon," the scientists note. More...

Dr. William Campbell Douglass II Speaks Out On Skin Cancer ...
(2010) Is anyone paying attention here? If the sun was REALLY causing skin cancer, and if sunscreen prevented it, we'd be cancer-free by now. We're already spending less time outside than ever, and wasting billions of dollars a year on needless, dangerous creams and lotions. Meanwhile, just a couple of generations ago, we spent far more time out in the sun and ZILCH on sunscreen -- and skin cancer was practically unheard of. More...

Does Sunscreen Promote Cancer? ...
(2008) The skin is not the only organ that is harmed by sunscreen chemicals. Those chemicals are absorbed by the skin, circulate throughout the body and end up harming the liver, the organ responsible for neutralizing chemicals in the body. The continued use of sunscreen products (especially those with fragrance in them) will inevitably harm the liver and, in my opinion, can lead to organ failure or liver cancer. More... 

Can Sunlight Help Save Your Life? ...
(2008) Studies increasingly are suggesting the value of vitamin D &endash; often known as the sunshine vitamin, because that's one way you can obtain it &endash; in everything from bone metabolism to maintaining muscle strength, immune function, reducing hypertension and possibly even playing a role in prevention of cancer and autoimmune disease. More...

Findings Dispute Sunscreen Effectiveness And Safety ...
(2008) In an investigation of 952 name-brand sunscreens, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) found that 4 out of 5 sunscreen products offer inadequate protection from the sun, or contain ingredients with significant safety concerns. Leading brands were the worst offenders: None of market leader Coppertone's 41 sunscreen products met EWG's criteria for safety and effectiveness, and only 1 of 103 products from Banana Boat and Neutrogena, the second- and third-largest manufacturers, are recommended by EWG. More...

Does Sunscreen Cause Skin Cancer? ...
(2003) More than a million cases of skin cancer are reported in the U.S. annually. The American Cancer Society, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA), and the American Academy of Dermatology consider sunscreen to be the magic potion in skin cancer prevention. While the sales of sun protection products has been growing at about 5% a year so has incidences of basal-cell, and squamous-cell carcinoma and deadly melanoma skin cancer. Some experts suggest that these new cases may come from sun damage suffered decades before. But, why do some studies show sunscreen users suffering more cancers? More...

Sunscreen's Role In Preventing Melanoma Questioned ...
(2004) Dermatologist Dr. Bernard Ackerman devotes many hours of his time diagnosing cases of skin cancer. Yet, on a recent trip, he didn't seem worried about the potential risk of the disease while he sunbathed without the use of sunscreen or a hat. Ackerman, 68, is an expert in the field of dermatology and the emeritus director of the Ackerman Academy of Dermatopathology. He considers the connection between melanoma and the sun both inconclusive and inconsistent. More...

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Disclaimer

Tanning & Natural Health News is a publication of Tan Plus /Essentials Of Life, Barclay Square, 350 Route 108, Somersworth, NH. This publication is designed for educational purposes only and is not intended to be presented as medical advice. Product statements made have not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration.