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We all know we’re supposed to be careful in the sun. Wear sunscreen. Cover up. Find some shade. Don’t burn. But as with so many areas of health and sustainability, sometimes it’s worth stepping back and asking a few questions.
How much sun is actually helpful? Why does our skin seem to adapt when we’re outdoors regularly? Are all sunscreens the same? And is there a sensible middle ground between avoiding the sun completely and spending an entire afternoon turning ourselves into a human barbecue?
This month’s newsletter was inspired by a fascinating discussion around sunlight and sunscreen, and it raised some questions that are worth exploring.
Most of us spend a huge amount of our time indoors, particularly during the winter months. Then summer arrives, we book a holiday, and suddenly pale skin that has seen very little sunlight is exposed to strong UV for hours at a time. Our skin does have some natural ability to adapt to sunlight.
Repeated, gradual exposure can increase melanin production and cause some thickening of the outer skin layer. This can provide a degree of additional protection.
But – and this is important – a tan is not sunscreen.
A tan is a response to UV exposure, and UV radiation can damage DNA in skin cells. A tan therefore doesn’t make someone immune to sun damage. The bigger issue isn’t necessarily simply being outside. It’s the pattern of exposure. Sudden, intense exposure and sunburn are particularly important risk factors for skin cancer, including melanoma.
So perhaps the answer isn’t to be frightened of daylight. It’s to stop expecting our bodies to go from eleven months of artificial light to a week of intense Mediterranean sunshine without consequences.
This is where things become more complicated. Some sunscreen ingredients can be absorbed through the skin and detected in the bloodstream after repeated application. That finding doesn’t automatically mean that those ingredients are dangerous, or that sunscreen causes cancer.
It does, however, mean that the idea that sunscreen simply sits on the surface of your skin isn’t quite as straightforward as it sounds. And that’s why ongoing research into the safety and long-term effects of different sunscreen ingredients is important.
There are also different types of sunscreen. Some use chemical UV filters, while mineral sunscreens commonly use ingredients such as zinc oxide to reflect and scatter UV radiation. If you’re uncomfortable with certain synthetic UV filters, choosing a mineral sunscreen is a perfectly reasonable personal preference.
But it’s important not to let concerns about particular ingredients lead to the much more dangerous conclusion that sunscreen itself is harmful or that unrestricted UV exposure is safe.
The newsletter highlighted some striking figures from research involving almost half a million people in the UK Biobank. The figures being circulated suggest that people who reported using sun protection frequently had substantially higher rates of melanoma and other skin cancers. At first glance, those numbers sound alarming. But there is a very important catch.
They do not show that sunscreen caused those cancers.
Observational studies can identify associations, but they cannot necessarily tell us what caused what. For example, people who are naturally very fair-skinned, have lots of moles, burn easily, spend more time in strong sunlight or already know they are at higher risk of skin cancer may also be much more likely to use sunscreen.
In other words, the people using the most sunscreen may already be the people with the greatest underlying risk. This is known as confounding, and it is one of the reasons why a correlation shouldn’t automatically be interpreted as cause and effect.
There has also been confusion online about exactly what the UK Biobank research did and did not investigate. Claims that the study proved sunscreen causes skin cancer are not supported by the evidence. So while the research raises interesting questions, it shouldn’t be used as a reason to stop protecting your skin.
Perhaps the answer lies somewhere between the two extremes. We don’t need to hide from daylight. And we certainly don’t need to deliberately burn ourselves in the belief that we’re “building a base tan”.
The NHS advice remains very clear: sunburn increases the risk of skin cancer, and there is no safe or healthy way to get a tan. When UV levels are high, protection matters. There are several things you can do that don’t involve relying entirely on sunscreen.
Being outdoors is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. Rather than going from virtually no sun exposure to hours of intense sunshine on holiday, sensible regular outdoor time allows you to become more accustomed to being outside. But don’t deliberately expose yourself until you burn. There is no health benefit to sunburn.
Don’t judge UV exposure by temperature alone. You can have a relatively cool day with surprisingly strong UV levels. The NHS recommends considering sun protection when the UV index reaches 3 or above.
Whatever your views on sunscreen, this one is simple. Don’t burn.
Your skin type, number of moles, family history, previous sun exposure and other individual factors can all affect your skin-cancer risk. If you’re particularly high risk, it’s worth getting personalised advice from a qualified healthcare professional.
This is one of the simplest ways to reduce UV exposure. A hat, sunglasses, lightweight clothing and a shady spot can provide substantial protection without requiring another layer of product. And unlike sunscreen, your shirt doesn’t need to be reapplied every couple of hours!
The NHS recommends spending time in the shade when the sun is strongest, covering up and using sunscreen as part of a wider approach to sun protection.
If you prefer to minimise exposure to certain chemical UV filters, mineral sunscreen containing zinc oxide is one option to consider. But whichever type you choose, look for appropriate UVA and UVB protection and use it correctly.
The NHS recommends at least SPF 30 with good UVA protection and stresses that sunscreen shouldn’t be used as a licence to stay in the sun for longer.
There is a lot of polarised information about sunlight. On one side, we’re sometimes told that the sun is something to fear. On the other, there are claims that sunscreen is dangerous and that we should simply let our skin absorb as much sunlight as possible. Neither extreme is particularly helpful.
Sunlight is a normal part of life, and spending time outdoors has plenty of benefits. But UV radiation can damage skin, and repeated sunburn increases the risk of skin cancer.
The sensible approach is to enjoy being outside while respecting what the sun can do.
Get outdoors. Check the UV index. Seek shade when UV is strongest. Cover up. Don’t burn.
And if you choose to use sunscreen, choose one you’re comfortable with and use it properly.
Some of the questions discussed in this article were prompted by a recent newsletter from Booyah that explored sunlight, sunscreen ingredients and research using UK Biobank data. We’ve shared the subject because we think it’s interesting and worth discussing.
As always, when it comes to health information, it’s important to look beyond a headline, understand what a study actually shows, and distinguish between an interesting association and proven cause and effect.
That’s how we make better-informed choices.
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