The Truth About Sun Exposure: Doctor Sets the Record Straight amid Influencer Misinformation

Skin cancer is nan astir communal shape of cancer, pinch 1 successful 5 Americans processing it successful their lifetimes, according to nan American Academy of Dermatology. The mostly of melanoma cases are attributable to UV exposure.

While location are wellness benefits to sun exposure, doctors urge wearing sunscreen erstwhile spending much than a fewer minutes outside. So why are truthful galore influencers saying that sunscreen causes cancer, aliases that a "base tan" will protect you?

PEOPLE checked successful pinch Dr. Raman Madan, Director of Cosmetic Dermatology astatine Northwell Health to benignant done misinformation and find retired nan existent communicative connected vitamin D, sunscreen and guidelines tans.

Is location a patient magnitude of sun exposure? 

“It is decidedly beneficial to get immoderate sun because successful moderation, it helps pinch vitamin D synthesis. It tin amended your mood,” Dr. Madan tells PEOPLE. But you tin still get these benefits pinch sunscreen, he emphasizes.

That said, for patients pinch circumstantial aesculapian conditions for illustration atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, aliases vitiligo, he says, “I urge conscionable 5, 10 minutes extracurricular without sunscreen, arsenic earthy UV ray really helps stimulate their body's defense against these inflammatory molecules.”

How overmuch SPF should you wear?

Forget astir analyzable equations, he says. “Honestly, SPF 30 and supra is much than enough,” Dr. Madan explains. “With SPF 30, it fundamentally gives you astir 97% sum from nan sun. There's thing to calculate.”

Dr. Madan says arsenic agelong arsenic you are “cognizant astir reapplying it each 2 to 3 hours erstwhile you're extracurricular aliases if you spell successful nan water, you'll beryllium fine.”

Is a guidelines tan nan champion protection against nan sun?

“A guidelines tan, I don't deliberation is simply a bully idea, because tanning, nary matter really minimal, causes UV radiation to harm nan DNA successful your cells,” he explains. “Your assemblage fundamentally reacts by producing much melanin, which is much of a defense, not a wellness benefit.”

And erstwhile it comes to “protecting you from nan sun,” a guidelines tan “may springiness you nan balanced of SPF 3,” he says, compared to sunscreens which “start astatine fundamentally SPF 15 aliases 30.” 

Besides, pinch “a guidelines tan, you person an accrued consequence of tegument cancer, and [it] besides accelerates aging. So you tin get wrinkles, property spots, from having this 'base tan.' So. I'm not a instrumentality of guidelines tans.”

What astir reports that sunscreen tin beryllium toxic? 

“There's been a batch of antagonistic [reports] towards sunscreen retired there, and it benignant of stems from different reasons. One of them is that group opportunity that sunscreen tin beryllium absorbed into nan bloodstream,” he says, explaining, “it's a small, small, mini amount” pinch immoderate chemic sunscreens. However, he says, you tin deterioration mineral-based sunscreens like zinc oxide aliases titanium dioxide, and “those won't beryllium absorbed by your body.” 

Regarding nan biology effect of sunscreens, immoderate “can harm coral reefs successful immoderate locations for illustration successful Hawaii and parts of Mexico, but if you're wearing nan mineral-based zinc oxide aliases titanium dioxide, this is reef-safe, truthful it will beryllium a non-issue again.”

“There's a batch of misinformation retired there, and I deliberation group are conscionable trying to find reasons not to deterioration sunscreen” he said.

What benignant of sunscreen should you put connected a child?

“I person 4 kids nether nan property of 6. They each deterioration sunscreen. I do usage nan mineral-based sunscreen connected them again, pinch nan zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, because it's not going to beryllium absorbed by their skin." 

But arsenic Dr. Madan points out, "if you're consenting to put diaper pick connected a baby, past you should person nary problem putting sunscreen connected them.”

Truly, really bad is simply a sunburn?

“People travel successful pinch first and second-degree burns sometimes complete their full assemblage erstwhile they're extracurricular without sunscreen,” he tells PEOPLE. “In nan short term, conscionable having a sunburn is uncomfortable. But what ends up happening is each clip you get a sunburn aliases each clip you person nan UVB rays hits your cells, it tin origin 1 of them to mutate, and moreover 1 of them mutating tin move into tegument cancer.”