The skin is the largest organ in your body. But when you lather up with sunscreen, the chemicals are actually being absorbed into your bloodstream.
According to a new pilot study conducted by the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, chemicals from sunscreen enter the bloodstream in substantial amounts after just one day of use. The study, which has just been published, evaluated the blood of 24 test subjects, each of whom used sunscreen on 75% of their bodies.
They then evaluated four chemicals commonly found in sunscreen products:
- Avobenzone
- Oxybenzone
- Ecamsule
- Octocrylene
After just one day of use, the researchers found that the levels of these chemicals in the blood was higher than the FDA safety threshold. Patients using sprays, creams, and lotions all demonstrated the same results.
Because the blood levels exceed the FDA threshold, these products will need to undergo vigorous safety testing. And although consumers have been using these products for decades, proper safety studies are virtually non-existent.
Is Sun Exposure the Real Cause of Skin Cancer?
May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month, and the timing of this information is fortuitous. Those who have been following our work are already equipped with knowledge about the harm that traditional sunblock can cause, but for those of you who are unfamiliar, let’s recap.
You’ve probably heard a million times that the sun causes cancer, and that it’s important to lather up before you go outside. But not only does sunscreen introduce harmful chemicals into your bloodstream, it also blocks the production of vitamin D. Vitamin D is crucial for maintaining good health, and the sun is one of the few natural ways to get it.
Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the United States, with nearly five million people treated annually. Below are the 3 most common types of skin cancer.
3 Most Common Types of Skin Cancer
#1. Basal cell carcinomas comprise 80% of all skin cancers. Basal cancers used to show up only in middle-aged groups but are increasingly present in younger people. These cancers grow slowly and rarely spread to other parts of the body.
#2. Squamous cell carcinomas are more likely to grow into deeper layers of the skin and spread to other parts of the body, although this is still rare. Interestingly, squamous cell cancers exist more frequently in darker skinned individuals in areas hidden from the sun, such as on the bottoms of their feet or palms of their hands.
#3. Melanoma accounts for less than 2% of all cases of skin cancer but is more likely to grow and spread if left untreated, making it more deadly. According to skincancer.org, getting more than five sunburns increases your odds of getting melanoma by 80%.
One study, published in 2004, found that indoor workers are more likely to develop melanoma than outdoor workers. The author concluded that “chronic sunlight exposure can have a protective effect” against skin cancer. In fact, a 2014 article published in the Journal of Internal Medicine found that avoiding sun exposure is a risk factor for all-cause mortality.
Another study, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, found that exposure to sunlight – and the subsequent vitamin D synthesis – may actually help to prevent certain cancers. According to the study:
…sunlight may reduce the risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and may be associated with increased survival rates in patients with early-stage melanoma. In a large population-based case–control study of more than 3700 patients with incident lymphoma and nearly 3200 control subjects in Sweden and Denmark, Smedby et al. reported a 20% to 40% reduction in the risk of this cancer. The reduction in risk was dose-related with increasing indices of prior sun exposure.”
The authors summarized that “solar radiation may have a beneficial influence in both the incidence and outcome of cancer.” So, if vitamin D is so important, and exposure to sunlight can be healthy (in the right doses), what does sunscreen accomplish?
The Real Damage Caused by Commercial Sunscreen
Besides blocking the important synthesis of vitamin D, it may be disrupting our hormones, especially once it’s been introduced into the bloodstream. We actually published a video on this very topic years ago. Dr. Elizabeth Plourde, an expert on the dangers of commercial sunscreen use, explained the way that these harmful chemicals are absorbed through the skin and introduced into the bloodstream – and just how badly this can affect humans.
The chemicals in sunscreen can act as an estrogen, or an anti-testosterone, which can have severe effects on our health. This is especially important for women who are pregnant, because this hormone disruption can drastically and negatively impact the development of unborn children.
She explained that the skin is the largest organ in our bodies, and one of the most absorbent. Whatever we put onto our skin can end up directly in our bloodstream. In fact, Dr. Plourde says that the chemicals in sunscreen can be detected in the blood within 5 minutes of applying it and in the liver, kidney, spleen, testicles and brain within mere hours.
How to Defend Against Skin Cancer Naturally (+ How to Make Your Own Sunscreen!)
Nevertheless, too much sun exposure can lead to many forms of skin cancer, especially when it results in a burn. But there are ways to protect yourself from potentially harmful radiation naturally, without the use of harsh chemicals found in most sun care products.
#1. Limit your exposure. We should ideally be getting about 10,000 to 20,000 IU of vitamin D each day. Start out with 15-20 minutes of sunbathing at least 3 times a week for optimal vitamin D production. For those with darker skin, try 25-40 minutes.
#2. Use clothing to protect yourself. For those who will be in the sunlight for an inordinate amount of time, consider using a hat, long sleeves, and pants to protect your skin instead of sunblock.
#3. Utilize nature’s medicine chest. There are many plants and herbs provided in creation that can help improve our body’s natural defenses. Phenolic compounds like flavonols, lignins, stilbenes, and phenolic acids can help protect you against skin cancer. There are other compounds that can protect against melanoma which can be found in green tea, holy basil, cruciferous vegetables, coffee, and a host of other fruits and veggies.
If you live in an area with limited sunlight, be sure to supplement your vitamin D levels. You can use a trusted, all-natural vitamin D3 supplement or consume foods like mushrooms, wild-caught fish, and fermented dairy products to increase your levels of vitamin D.
Even non-chemical sunscreens which contain minerals may have been mixed with chemicals, and products labeled as “hypoallergenic” contain hazardous ingredients. Instead, prepare your own natural sunscreen lotion made with extracts that contain a natural SPF.
[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:39]
No matter how you choose to protect yourself from sun damage, remember to consult a physician or dermatologist to find out what’s best for your skin type and to make sure you’re getting enough vitamin D.
Skin cancer is the most common of all cancers. You can protect yourself naturally without infusing your body with harmful chemicals contained in commercial sunscreens. By utilizing the bounty of creation, like vitamin D, antioxidants, and phenolic compounds, you reap the benefits of the sun while helping your body defend against cancer.
Article Summary
A recent study shows that chemicals from sunscreen enter the bloodstream in substantial amounts after just one day of use.
3 most common types of skin cancer:
- Basal cell carcinoma
- Squamous cell carcinoma
- Melanoma
Besides blocking the important synthesis of vitamin D, sunscreen may be disrupting our hormones.
How to defend against skin cancer naturally:
- Limit your exposure
- Use clothing to protect yourself
- Utilize nature’s medicine chest
Appreciate the sunscreen article. On the DIY, what is the equvilant to the SPF rating (a ballpark range)?
THank you
Larry
Hi Larry,
Thank you for your feedback!
Here’s what Dr. Eric Zielinski has to say about homemade sunscreen: “Before using any DIY sunscreen recipes for your and your family’s protection, you need to be aware of the limits of these home formulations. The kind of sunscreen you find on store shelves is made with specialized equipment that ensures the even distribution of the ingredients that protect you from the sun’s rays. Unfortunately, they also many times contain toxic ingredients. [Natural] alternatives are not guaranteed to offer the same kind of protection or any specific SPF that would be expected of professionally formulated sun-protection products.” These recipes are meant for use only after personal consideration of the risks and benefits they may pose.”
We hope this helps!
I have read that silibinin in Milk Thistle can attack skin cancer. I take Milk Thistle for my liver but never tried it topically and was wondering if it could help prevent skin cancer if used in the recipe!?
Hi Scott –
Thanks for your note.
We have a great article on milk thistle. Published studies on milk thistle’s anti-cancer potential show its effectiveness against cancers of the skin, prostate, liver, lung, breast, colon, cervix, and ovaries. Have a read below:
https://thetruthaboutcancer.com/milk-thistle/
Blessings and love!
Thank you for writing this article! I never knew how toxic sunscreen was! That’s insane!!
For the sunscreen recipe, how long do you cook the ingredients? Will it prevent you from getting burned? Can this be used by people who burn easily or just burn and not tan? Do you need to reapply and, if so, how often? The picture shown of the vitamin E is of capsules. Do you need to get capsules for this recipe or should it be in a liquid form, etc? Sorry for all of the questions! Thank you in advance. God bless you all! 🙂
I would say not to “cook” the ingredients, but just heat it so as to make it easier to combine all the ingredients.
I would say use liquid form vitamin E. Inside those capsules is a liquid form of vitamin E anyway.
Regards
Angela
Jacqueline, I don’t think you want to cook the ingredients – just melt them so you can mix them. The less heat the better, typically. Can’t answer your other questions – and I had the same one about the Vit. E source.
From my experience with DIY sunscreens, I would guess you would need to reapply every couple hours & that it’s not going to protect you against sunburn as well as the commercial (nasty chemical) ones. I think if you’re going to be out too long your best bet is coverage with clothes. But what if you’re at Water World all day? My girls hate the natural sunscreens I got with the zinc in them (they look like ghosts! haha). So I’m wondering if this will be similar. (You can also use just coconut oil as sunscreen as it has a natural SPF, but we’ve found it’s not extremely protective…. )
Hi Jacqueline, yes this recipe can be used for all skin types and we recommend you reapply accordingly. You can use vitamin E in any form — thanks!
Thank you for sharing the natural sunscreen’s ingredients.
Do you know of any natural cancer treatment centers in Armenia?
Hi Rita –
Thanks for reaching out to us.
Most of the contact information we have on our site is that of experts within the USA or Asia.
Unfortunately, we are unable to give any kind of medical advice. The best advice we can give you is to consult with one of the doctors we interviewed in the Global Quest series.
Please note that we are not able to select an expert for you.
We’ve created a page with the experts’ contact info as it was available to us.
Here’s the link to the actual webpage:
http://thetruthaboutcancer.com/experts-info-sheet/
We do have one more resource you may be interested in. During our Live Event 2017 series, Dr. Patrick Quillin suggested contacting The Institute of Functional Medicine to locate a practitioner in your area.
If you are interested, here is the link to search for a Functional Medicine Practitioner in your area: https://www.ifm.org/find-a-practitioner/
I’m also attaching the info about the Hope4Cancer clinic in Tijuana, MX if you’d like to reach out to them.
http://www.hope4cancer.com/
https://hope4cancer.com/schedule-a-call/
Along with this, we also have comprised a list of health experts and doctors we’ve interviewed in our Eastern Medicine: Journey to Asia documentary. Ty and the team are still working on collecting the contact information for the rest of these doctors and experts. Please note that this link will be updated with more doctor’s contact info as they share it with us.
https://thetruthaboutcancer.com/eastern-medicine-experts-info-sheet/
Hope this is helpful. Please let us know if you have any further questions. 🙂
Blessings and love!
Only green tomatoes get sunburnt on the bush or vine. After they produce the red colour lycopene – a carotonoid – they are protected. Traditionally people rubbed a cut ripe tomato on sunburn.
you should melt the ingredients au bain marie, not boiling…add the essential oil after the mixture has cooled down, otherwise it evaporates right away.
I wonder what the spf is ????
Maybe add a bit of colour by adding cacao powder…
Hi Carine,
Thank you for your comment! Here’s what Dr. Eric Zielinski has to say about homemade sunscreen: “Before using any DIY sunscreen recipes for your and your family’s protection, you need to be aware of the limits of these home formulations. The kind of sunscreen you find on store shelves is made with specialized equipment that ensures the even distribution of the ingredients that protect you from the sun’s rays. Unfortunately, they also many times contain toxic ingredients. [Natural] alternatives are not guaranteed to offer the same kind of protection or any specific SPF that would be expected of professionally formulated sun-protection products.” These recipes are meant for use only after personal consideration of the risks and benefits they may pose.” We hope this helps!
I stopped having basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma when I stopped using sunscreen.
I have been using colloidal silver for sunscreen for years, and it works extremely well, no oily skin or smell of sunscreen. If you forget and get a sunburn colloidal silver gets rid of the burn within minutes. I make my own colloidal silver to a strength of 25-30 ppm for this purpose and will use nothing else.
On the series you talked about Curamen creme – is that also a natural way to combat skin cancer?
Hi Anne –
Great question!
Rather than going into detail about the BEC5 cream, you can take a look at these links below to get a more in-depth explanation about the product:
https://thetruthaboutcancer.com/bec5-video/
https://thetruthaboutcancer.com/bec5-cream-video/
Hope this helps. Please let us know if you have any further questions/concerns. 🙂
Blessings and love!
I have a question about arsenic. We have well water and the tests came back with high levels of arsenic. We have been told to get a filter for our drinking water but it’s ok to bath and wash dishes etc. with unfiltered water. What do you think?
Hi Nancy –
Thanks for your comment.
It’s up to you to decide what is best for you and your family, and we do have a list of health experts if you’d like to reach out to them with your question.
Our skin is the largest organ of our body. It breathes in what we put on it. We believe it’s best to expose it to what is best for its wellbeing (non-toxic is the best rule of thumb). 🙂
The best advice we can give you is to consult with one of the doctors we interviewed in the Global Quest series.
Please note that we are not able to select an expert for you.
We’ve created a page with the experts’ contact info as it was available to us.
Here’s the link to the actual webpage:
http://thetruthaboutcancer.com/experts-info-sheet/
We do have one more resource you may be interested in. During our Live Event 2017 series, Dr. Patrick Quillin suggested contacting The Institute of Functional Medicine to locate a practitioner in your area.
If you are interested, here is the link to search for a Functional Medicine Practitioner in your area: https://www.ifm.org/find-a-practitioner/
Hope this helps!
Blessings and love!
Hello,
I am surprised “titanium dioxide” is not featured on this list. Does your team not find this a highly toxic substance? Would it be considered non-toxic? Thank you!
Hi there –
We definitely don’t recommend products with titanium dioxide. Here’s a great article with more details on it:
https://thetruthaboutcancer.com/titanium-dioxide/
Happy reading! 🙂
I’ve been working in the Natural Health industry for a long time and love that this information is really getting out there!
Adding antioxidants to your diet, such as selenomethionine and astaxanthin for example are also great for protecting your skin from the sun. I use mostly home made skin care products, and never use chemical sunscreens. Those chemical sunscreens are also killing coral reefs.
The only sunscreen I will use that is store bought is Badger.
Do you melt the Vit E gel cap or cut the gel cap and pour out what’s inside?
Hi Laurene –
Thanks for your comment.
As long as you’re using organic vitamin E capsules, either method would be just as good. 🙂
Be sure to let us know how you like your homemade sunscreen!
Blessings and love!
It depends on what sunscreen you use! Here’s my favorite non-toxic sunscreen: https://kellythekitchenkop.com/safer-sunscreen
I’ve read that the USE of sunscreen has gone up like 4000%, yet skin cancer has only declined like 1.2%. Dr. Mercola’ book, Dark Deception states this, I believe.
I never lie in the sun and I always wear a hat because I do not want to get sunburned since I tend to get sunburned easily.
I recently made the homemade sunscreen recipe. I too was wondering about the SPF. I understand it’s difficult to assign a number however, as it is DIY and amounts and ingredients vary. The recipe I have indicated only 1/2 tsp of vitamin E oil, while the one I see posted on the website has 2 Tbsp listed. I made it with only 1/2 tsp of Vitamin E and it has worked out very well. I am only wondering if more of it would provide better protection.