Is Your Sunscreen Poisoning You? How to Protect Your Skin Without Toxic Chemicals

Dangers of Sunscreen

It’s starting to warm up here in the southern US, and conscientious people everywhere are stocking up on commercial sunscreens.

The typical advice is to wear sunscreen every day, and especially when you’re going to be outdoors at the park, beach, or pool. Even makeup and lip balm have sunscreen added to them.

Skin cancer is on the rise, and sunscreen seems the obvious answer.  The sun’s UV rays have been proven harmful….or have they?

The downside of sunscreen is that it blocks our body’s ability to produce Vitamin D, which is a crucial vitamin for hundreds of body processes, including its critical role in…cancer prevention. 

The latest studies show that people who use more sunscreen actually have higher rates of melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer. And, those melanoma patients with higher rates of sun exposure are actually more likely to survive the disease, not less.

The role of Vitamin D in cancer prevention may partially explain these surprising findings.

So, the sun’s not trying to kill us?

Not really–and sunscreens may actually HARM instead of help!

Even the FDA has admitted that it is “not aware of data demonstrating that sunscreen use alone helps prevent skin cancer.”

Many of the toxic chemical ingredients in sunscreen work to physically filter out the UV rays, which mean they’re only effective when they’re sitting on the surface of your skin.

However, the skin is our body’s largest organ, and it’s extremely permeable.

All those sunscreen chemicals that are supposed to be protecting the surface of your skin actually get absorbed INTO your body, where they’re rendered useless for sun protection but actively poison you from within.

These toxins compromise your immune system over time and make you more susceptible to all sorts of illnesses, including skin cancer.

So what can you do to avoid sunburn AND skin cancer?

It’s time to start EATING your sunscreen.

Sunburn is just another kind of inflammation in the body, and there’s an established link between nutrition and inflammation. The modern diet is positively full of foods that promote inflammation, including processed sugars, grains, and refined vegetable oils.

As the Wellness Mama blog explains, eating an antioxidant-rich diet in whole, natural foods can minimize your body’s susceptibility to both short- and long-term harm from the sun’s rays.

Here’s a great list of what to eat if you want to minimize your body’s tendency to go full-lobster in the sun.

If you still feel the need to protect your skin with something like a lotion, try coconut oil. It’s got a natural SPF of about 4, and gives you that dewy glow of suntan lotion without the chemicals.

Let’s ditch the commercial sunscreen and rethink our sun protection strategy!

Check out Dr. Axe’s great article on the dangers of sunscreen: