Skin cancer risk is real. Premature aging due to excessive sun exposure is real, too (but should we be prioritizing vanity over health? Actually, don’t answer that…). But when it comes to the relative risks and benefits of sun exposure, I think we’ve tipped too far in the direction of fearing the sun. Our health has suffered as a consequence.
Some people are more at risk for skin cancer (fair skin, red/blonde hair, light eyes, family history of skin cancer), so for you folks, exercise more caution. But I think we have forgotten that
When I see parents slathering their kids in sunblock like their lives depend on it, when I see people spraying the nanoparticle aerosol sunblock (negatively impacting air quality and lung health for everyone around you), feeling like they’re being a good and law-abiding citizen, I wonder if they’ve blindly accepted the sun-fearing party line without questioning whether it makes sense in all situations. Meanwhile, my practice is full of people suffering from illnesses that would all be improved with more sun exposure, and
For all of us, our body usually tells us when we need more sun (does your skin crave the sensation of being warmed by the sun?) and when we’ve had too much (Get me out of here! Must find shade). Try a new relationship to the sun: be reasonable and responsible, wear a hat, sit in the shade during the times of day with the strongest sun, don’t get burned, and the rest of the time, let the sun kiss your skin and enjoy that feeling and all the downstream benefits to your health.
For further reading, see this article.
