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Here Comes the Sun, It's Alright



Most of the people “looking out for us” don’t trust that we can moderate our behavior or make more than the simplest decisions.  To protect us from skin cancer, they suggest that everybody apply sunscreen with at least SPF 30 all year round.  They don’t trust us to use our brains.  They just provide a blanket statement: SFP30, everybody, year-round.  Let me give an example where that might not be the best advice: You live in Wisconsin and work in an office from 8am to 5pm.  I think you might need (might) all the sun exposure you can get before 8 and after 5 and should skip the sunscreen workdays between October and April.

Can we get the good things and still avoid skin cancer?  I think so.

 

There are a numerous types of skin cancer, but more than 99% are:

·         Basal Cell Carcinoma.  This accounts for 80% of skin cancers. 

·         Squamous Cell Cancer.  This accounts for 20% of skin cancers.

·         Melanoma.  This accounts for less than 1% of skin cancers.

 

There are other rare skin cancers.  Dying from BCC or SC cancer is quite rare.  It usually happens in people that are immune-compromised or have an autoimmune disease.  Melanoma is rarer, but more deadly.  It has a 94% survival rate.

 

Here is a strange statistic.  Most people with Basal Cell Carcinoma live long healthy lives.  Is that because having BCC causes you to live long and healthy?  I doubt it.  There are other risk factors for BCC and SC, but one is sun exposure.  So, it seems as though BCC and SC are side effects of sun exposure which has other benefits.  What about Melanoma?  One of the differences between BCC/SC and melanoma seems to be biggest risk for Melanoma is not just sun exposure, but sun burn.  It is very important not to get burned. 

 

What are the benefits of sun exposure?

In addition to vitamin D3 which we may have heard, we also get:

·         Nitric oxide release which lowers your blood pressure

·         Reduction of inflammation throughout your body

·         Setting of your circadian rhythm which helps you get better sleep which has many health benefits

·         Stops the production of melatonin and allows your body to produce more at night when it needs it for better sleep

·         Reduced insulin resistance and improved blood sugar regulation

How do we balance the benefits and risks? And how much sun do we need?

The big one is to take precautions to not get skin burnt.  Use sun block if you are going to be in the sun all day, sunny or cloudy, especially farther south, especially in the summer months, especially if you have lighter colored skin.

How much sun do you need to get its benefits?  That also depends on your north/south location, time of the year, and your skin type.  If you have light colored skin in the summer in the southern states, you can get all the benefits in nine minutes a day with one third of your skin exposed. 

Those nine minutes may need to be lengthened if:

·         you are farther north

·         It is not the summer months

·         you have dark colored skin

·         you have less skin exposed

Sun, sun, sun here it comes.

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