There are many doctors and scientists who believe sunscreen is helpful. They have recorded studies on how sunscreen prevents sunburn. In addition, the corporations selling this product will market it as the best form of protection. These can mislead anyone into believing that sunscreen must be used and is the only thing to prevent sunburn. The belief that being completely blocked from the sun is somehow the healthiest form of sun protection is absurd. They are looking at it all wrong. The sun’s rays, harmful and beneficial, should be absorbed in order to reap the benefits and build strong and healthy skin. 

According to Forbes Business Insight, the sunscreen market is worth over $13 billion. These big businesses will continue to market their products to make it seem like the only option to prevent sunburn. They will go through lots of time and money to advertise the effects of their product just like any other company. Also, doctors are not prohibited from giving paid endorsements, via the American Medical Association. Do you think sunscreen companies would pay doctors to promote their products? It’s difficult to trust something anyone says if you know that they are getting paid to do so. 

The common view on sunscreen and why it’s good for you, is that sunscreen will lay on the surface of your skin and block all the sun’s harmful rays. This is illustrated in an article by Yale Scientific, “Sunscreen works by blocking and absorbing UV rays through a combination of physical and chemical particles. Physical particles, such as zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, are used to reflect UV radiation from the skin.” The chemical absorbers and physical blockers are used in compounds to create a shield to ensure that sun rays do not contact your skin. However, this is just not the way to look at it. You should want to naturally fend off the harmful rays of the sun whilst absorbing the beneficial rays. Not wearing sunscreen or any type of cosmetic skin protection will invoke your skin to adapt to the sun’s rays. This will make your skin stronger and healthier as it uses the immune system’s process of battling foreign entities. 

There seems to be a discrepancy to the belief that sunscreen prevents skin cancer. However, many people today suggest that it does, an article by the Skin Cancer Foundation states, “When used as directed, sunscreen is proven to: Decrease your risk of skin cancers and skin precancers.” To express the discrepancy, you must understand some data in the history of sunscreen and sun cancer. To illustrate the history of sunscreen the New York Time posted an article called, “Sunscreen: A History”, containing a timeline of all the major events that lead to the sunscreen being used today. In the mid 1940s the first form of sunscreen was introduced. It was being developed and refined till 1988, when the Food and Drug Administration had elected to approve the product for use. This is also around the time sunscreen use became popular. At around the same time in 1992, according to the National Cancer institute, the skin cancer rates were at about 14 out of 100,00 people. Since then, the cancer rates have been on a steady upward slope with now in 2019, 23 out of 100,000 persons are diagnosed with skin cancer. How is sunscreen preventing skin cancer when, since it started to be widely used, the rates have only increased? If sunscreen was effective in preventing skin cancer then we would see a decline in skin cancer diagnosis since its beginning of use. 

Some may argue that the cancer rates have increased due to misuse of sunscreen. Which is a fair argument. The Skin Cancer Foundation proves the misuse, “To get the full broad-spectrum protection out of your sunscreen, apply one ounce — about a shot glass full — to your entire body. Most people apply less than half of that amount, translating into reduced protection.” Whilst another post on the same website by, Elizabeth K. Hale, an expert in the field resures, “Most people don’t apply enough sunscreen, which is why undesirable sunburns and tanning can occur despite sunscreen application.” The failure to apply sunscreen correctly is obviously common. Considering that if a majority of people don’t use the amount of sunscreen for the product to be properly effective, that renders the product ineffective. In the British Journal of Dermatology, a reviewed article states, “if the majority of consumers do not use the product in accordance with the recommendation, then this is a technical inadequacy in itself. Low cosmetic acceptance and the high costs of sunscreen products may result in insufficient use.” 

The arguments in favor of sunscreen products effectiveness and protection have multiple underlying problems. The multi-billion dollar sunscreen industry markets their products through paid doctor endorsements and misleading advertising, which should be marked untrustworthy and suspicious. They will continue to refuse to acknowledge the immune system’s process to counteract foreign entities because of course the sales of their product would drop. Allowing your skin to adapt to the sun’s rays will in turn create stronger, healthier skin that will continue to consume the beneficial sun rays. In addition, the belief that sunscreen prevents cancer is odd, knowing that ever since it became widely used skin cancer rates have steadily increased. This is all the while mis use of sunscreen only defines sunscreen as ineffective completely. 

Resources

Sun Care Products Market Size, share & covid-19 impact analysis, by product type (sun-protection, after-sun, and tanning), form (lotion, Spray, Stick, and others), SPF (0-29, 30-50, and >50), distribution channel, and Regional Forecast, 2020-2027. Sun Care Products Market Size, Share | Industry Report, 2020-2027. (n.d.). Retrieved November 16, 2021, from https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/sun-care-products-market-103821

Isguven, S. (2012, May 9). How does sunscreen protect you? cropped-YSM-Wordmark-Only-Black-High-Res.png. Retrieved November 16, 2021, from shorturl.at/bctGR

Sunscreen. The Skin Cancer Foundation. (2021, May 28). Retrieved November 16, 2021, from https://www.skincancer.org/skin-cancer-prevention/sun-protection/sunscreen/ 

The New York Times. (2010, June 23). Sunscreen: A history. The New York Times. Retrieved November 16, 2021, from https://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/24/fashion/24skinside.html 

Melanoma of the skin – cancer stat facts. SEER. (n.d.). Retrieved November 16, 2021, from https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/melan.html

Ask the expert: How much sunscreen should I be using on my face and body? The Skin Cancer Foundation. (2020, December 2). Retrieved November 16, 2021, from https://www.skincancer.org/blog/ask-the-expert-how-much-sunscreen-should-i-be-using-on-my-face-and-body/