Facts You Need to Know About Sunlight and Skin Cancer

re: Facts You Need to Know About Sunlight and Skin Cancer

imaphoenix9 — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 01:09:37 GMT

I didn't see an answer to kkmb's question above as to whether tanning beds were a safe alternative if you don't or can't get enough sun. And what about Vitamin D supplementation? I am currently taking 4,000 units twice a day.

re: Facts You Need to Know About Sunlight and Skin Cancer

TropNTHQLDvits — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 11:45:09 GMT

Okay I am very interested to know how a shade sail over our pool in far north qld Australia, fits in to this scenario. Does it filter all the UV good and bad as I know that It protects from sunburn even after 1 hour or more in the sun at any time of the day but yet the skin still tans noticebly. The UV is extreme here in Summer at around 16, burn time is usually measured at around 11 mins. Are we still getting the beneficial UV rays under the sail and whilst we are swimming frequently are we losing all the D we are creating?

re: Facts You Need to Know About Sunlight and Skin Cancer

Wolfster — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 03:16:03 GMT

I got a UV meter from Oregon Scientific. I wish Dr. Mercola would endorse this product here, because it is just a godsend for me. I input my skin type (up to 4 from very light to very dark) and type of sunscreen (1 for no sunscreen; the meter's numbers match the SPF). When I go out in the sun here in southern AZ, I push a button and the meter calculates how long I can stay in the sun without burning, counts it down, recalculates every 10 minutes, and beeps when it's time to go in. At last I can get my D without worry. When I started, my D levels were in the toilet at 14 - now they are in the mid-30s and rising, and I've never gotten a burn.

I also realized something. Even if very little of the US has enough sun all year long, we seem to take that to mean most of us are out of luck for 6 months. I am at the 32nd parallel, which is considered to not get enough sun in winter. But when exactly does that occur? All of December through February? Or a week or two around the Winter Solstice? Because your body retains D for a while after exposure, so a bad 3 weeks in midwinter isn't going to undo all the good one has done the rest of the year. And I can wear shorts and light, short-sleeved shirts or even a swimsuit on warm January days, instead of exposing just the part of my face that isn't covered by a ski mask and hoping for the best. These factors all need to be taken into account.

re: Facts You Need to Know About Sunlight and Skin Cancer

agua — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 00:51:25 GMT

My mother-in-law covers up when she goes out in the sun too, due to the fact that she has had lots of skin cancers which were due to cotton dust from her childhood years working in the fields in N.C. She had part of her thumb removed in 2008 due to cancer. I just recently found out about the benefits of Vitamin D.

re: Facts You Need to Know About Sunlight and Skin Cancer

Rett — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 18:56:18 GMT

As I read all this important information, I am thinking about Patrick Swayze having Pancreatic cancer and if he had known about how the sun could have protected him. I have shared what I have learned about this an so many other things and people look at me like I'm stupid. How can all those doctors and pharmaceutical companies and sunscreen makers be wrong? My mother is 82 years old. She eats the right foods most of the time but she cooks them to the extreme in her microwave oven or on the stove. She slathers on her sunscreen before she takes her daily walk. I told her about virgin coconut oil and how great it is for my skin and she continues to use those skin care products that have all those toxic chemicals in them that say they are "natural". Anyway. I learned even more today about how to make the sun my friend. Don't wash with soap for at least 30 minutes after my mid-day sun therapy. :) Hugs from Florida

re: Facts You Need to Know About Sunlight and Skin Cancer

curious7 — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 17:48:24 GMT

I would like to thank everyone for their input because we all can learn from each other. That health promoting ball of fire that hangs in the sky is indeed a wonder and I fear we only know just a fraction of the benefits.

re: Facts You Need to Know About Sunlight and Skin Cancer

CCurtis — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 15:58:20 GMT

I live in the north (Connecticut) and like to take advantage of the sun when the weather warms up. But I have fair skin and burn easily. I find that if I go out in the sun in spurts of 10-15 minutes, then go inside and cool off, then go back outside again I'm usually ok and don't burn. But what if I plan to be out in the sun longer and continuously? Would using sunscreen after the first 10-15 minutes prevent me from absorbing the vit D that I have already been exposed to? Would this be the equivalent of using soap and washing off the oils? I do want my vit D from the sun when I can get it, but I don't want to burn if I'm out longer and have no protection. I would hate to have to cover up in 80 degree+ (Fahrenheit) weather and be uncomfortable for it. I know sunscreen in general is unsafe with all the chemicals, but I understand Dr. Mercola now sells a brand he recommends as safe.

re: Facts You Need to Know About Sunlight and Skin Cancer

OptaHealth — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 14:09:36 GMT

I get outside every single day. Even just walking out the door, I instantly start to feel better. Sunny days are the best. Something about that natural sunlight that improves my mood and energy very quickly. Whenever I need to think creatively or solve a problem, I go outside.

re: Facts You Need to Know About Sunlight and Skin Cancer

kkmb — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 13:40:58 GMT

Does one get Vitamin D from the tanning beds if they cannot be outside in natural sunlight?

re: Facts You Need to Know About Sunlight and Skin Cancer

Jeff in Vancouver — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 13:24:57 GMT

Dr. Mercola,

This is a compound question.

Is it possible to quantify how much vitamin D your body needs to maintain an optimal level whether from sun exposure or from supplementation? How long does your body retain the stored vitamin D and what is the process and rate of the body burning or using the stored vitaminD?

re: Facts You Need to Know About Sunlight and Skin Cancer

DDS_203 — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 13:10:36 GMT

I heard that you shouldn't shower just prior to being in the sun, as it will negate the vitamin D production, that you need the oil in your skin to turn the rays into a benefit.

re: Facts You Need to Know About Sunlight and Skin Cancer

oakhaven — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 07:49:15 GMT

Both rays are harmful it is unwise and unethical to say that one is safe and the other is not neither are safe.

Over exposure undoubtedly causes skin cancer (melanomas) I run a busy clinic treating these cases. Every case I treat has a history of overexposure IE sunburn I was badly burnt myself 18 years ago and the burnt area has produced eight melanomas which fortunately I can treat myself.

Just moving about normally in the sunlight will generate sufficient Vit D no need to lie in the sun at all.

re: Facts You Need to Know About Sunlight and Skin Cancer

Dekalb — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 03:11:24 GMT

(This one is directed at the man himself)
How often should Vitamin D levels be tested?

re: Facts You Need to Know About Sunlight and Skin Cancer

Charles_Carlson — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 01:59:35 GMT

So I wonder, at what point is it okay to bathe as not to wash off the vitamin D? At one point Dr. Mercola mentioned waiting until your skin had dried or an hour after exposure. Does this still apply?

re: Facts You Need to Know About Sunlight and Skin Cancer

Dandy — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:33:21 GMT

I read an article a few years ago that claimed if you wear a thin shirt you got enough of the sun's rays to get a vit. D benifit. I myself got a lite sunburn while wearing such a shirt.