5 Things About Skin Cancer You’ve Never Thought Of
Women want to be “tan” because supposedly that’s the only way to look attractive and we will stop at nothing to reach this point. Tanning beds, hours of laying in the sun, and even coating our bodies with harmful chemicals, all to achieve the highly sought after “bronzed goddess” look. I am sure that every person reading this has heard about the terrible epidemic that skin cancer has presented us in this day and age, however I am thoroughly excited to share with you the information that changed my view on sun, SPF, and skin cancer as a whole.
Sexy by Nature is written by the wonderful Stefani Ruper and I highly recommend this book as it has opened my eyes in more ways than one.
Now on to the 5 things about skin cancer you’ve never thought of…
1. Humans have roamed the earth for thousands of years, however it’s only in recent decades that skin cancer has drastically increased in prevalence and is now known as the most common type of cancer in the United States.
What gives? Chlorofluorocarbons were released into the air via propellants, solvents, and refrigerants until the 1970s when they became regulated due to their destructive effects on the ozone layer. While these regulations halted the depletion of the ozone layer, the damage that has already been done cannot be undone, leaving room for much stronger UV rays to pass through to the earth.
2. Skin cancer and sunburns are highly correlated, BUT could this be due to our skins decreased ability to tolerate direct sunlight?
Years ago families farmed the land for food and worked outside in the sun for hours every day, however now Americans are lucky if they see 1 hour of sunlight a day. Our skin does not have sufficient time to acclimatize to the sunlight throughout each day, so we now coat ourselves with SPF 1000 to fight off the painful burns that result from our ‘binging’ on the weekends.
3. Can immune system weakness cause cancer?
DNA mutation is the primary cause of cancer, however our immune systems should be strong enough to fight off not only skin cancer but many other types of cancer as well. One important factor in a healthy immune system is adequate vitamin D exposure, natural and SPF free. However, minimal time outdoors+ decreased vitamin D synthesis + diets leading to inflammation = decreased immune function + increased cell mutation + overpowering cancer cells.
4. Sunscreen has not been proven to prevent melanoma.
Sunscreen may prevent sunburn, but it also prevents us from experiencing natural sunlight and disables the synthesis of vitamin D. Recommendations have been made to slowly increase your sun exposure starting with 20 minutes/day in order to decrease your risk of sunburn.
5. Last but not least, no other animals get skin cancer.
We as humans subject ourselves to sunburn, our bodies are inflamed from the abundance of processed foods that are prevalent in our diet, and thus our immune systems are compromised, decreasing our ability to fight off the mutations caused by sunburns.
Basically, Ms. Ruper is telling us that the more sun exposure we get, the greater our vitamin D production, the stronger our immune system will be. Just a little something to think about as our summer is fast approaching.
Be sure to check out many more tips on natural living in her book “Sexy by Nature” including self-love, increased energy, clear skin, and maintaining youthfulness.
XOXO -brit
