Nobody knows at what point of UV exposure you leave the hormetic zone and enter the danger the danger zone. Individuals vary. Erring on the side of caution seems prudent, Be aware that many chemicals used in sunscreen are not risk-free with mutagenic or carcinogenic properties. Good old zinc oxide seems to be safe. Nano-sized compounds like clear zinc oxide may be risky due to their ability to get into and to lodge in your body with unknown results.
Originally Posted by 69GTX
Best of luck in your treatment and recovery SLO_Town.
The whole topic of skin cancer puzzles me. Per medical data approximately half of the occurrences on the body occur where there is little to no sun exposure such as the bottoms of your feet or where you consistently wear clothing. Why is that? It's apparently more than just about sun exposure to bare skin. And it's quite possible some of the chemicals in sun screen and other skin products are some part of the problem. I have feeling that avoiding the sun and lathering down whenever going outside (ie resulting in having very low Vit D3 levels and hence lowered immunity) is also one of the problems. Are there much higher skin cancer rates among roofers, pro-golfers, life guards, greens keepers, farmers, etc. vs office workers and those who generally stay inside all day? For sure, dermatologists have scared the general population out of the sun it's no surprise the vast majority of us are now Vitamin D3 deficient.
I recall reading one scientific study that came out 2 or 3 yrs ago that stated women over 35 who tanned regularly had a 55% increase in the chance of getting skin cancer. Wow, that looked scary! Upon closer inspection, the occurrences of skin cancer in the base line group was 2 out of 1000 women....essentially zero. And those that tanned fairly regularly showed approx 3 out of 1000 occurrences....statistically irrelevant imo. But the math was quoted anyways. I believe in moderate sun exposure during the hours each day when UVB rays can get through (typically 10 am to 2 pm during late March to mid-September in the USA). Once you get your Vit D3 in 15-45 min doses, then lather up or cover up if you plan to stay out longer. Getting no frequent summer sun exposure to bare skin (no sunscreen) has just as much risk as getting too much exposure. Moderation in the things we do seems to work for most people.
