As the weather starts to get warmer and the UV starts to get higher, it’s tempting to want to lay in the sun without the inconvenience of sunscreen. It may be a hassle and some might claim “sunscreen has harmful chemicals;” However, not wearing sunscreen will leave students with red, peeling skin and cold showers.
There has been discussion of chemicals found in sunscreen that absorb into the skin and seep into the bloodstream (such as aminobenzoic acid, avobenzone, octisalate, octocrylene, and oxybenzone). Although this is true, researchers at Harvard Medical School explain that these chemicals aren’t actually harmful to humans. These chemicals do seep into the bloodstream but there has been no actual evidence that they cause any side effects, unless a person is allergic to it.
There are many organic and safer alternatives that are worth considering if someone is worried about these chemicals like Native, Sun Bum, and Think Sport
False claims like “Sunscreen causes skin cancer” and “Sunscreen is connected to breast cancer” have been inaccurately spread around. As these claims become more and more popularized, it puts people at risk for sun damage.
According to Cleveland Clinic Health Essentials, the most common type of cancer is skin cancer, meaning 20% of people are likely to develop skin cancer at some point in their life. Sunscreen is not only used for protection against sunburn and risk of cancer, but it has also been proven to help maintain younger looking skin.
Sophomore, Mali Stelik says, “Because of Accutane, I have to use sunscreen constantly in the summer since I am more susceptible to sunburns.”
Sunscreen also promotes a more even looking skin tone, leaving people without the dark, blotchy spots from the sun. Some believe that sunscreen makes it more difficult to tan. However, not using sunscreen will leave you with cold showers, peeling skin, and a rachad tan.
Many use moisturizing sunscreen when tanning to attract the UV rays and help speed up the process, while also protecting their skin from any damaging effects.
Sophomore Jake Turner says, “I use sunscreen in the summer because I don’t want to look like a lobster and it also helps with my tan.”
Even though some people inaccurately claim that sunscreen has harmful chemicals, sunscreen is crucial to maintaining healthy skin.
