‘Dangerous message’: Experts slam anti-sunscreen claims circulating online

While social media may be full of influencers stressing the significance of skincare and daily sunscreen use, a contrasting trend has emerged: the anti-sunscreen movement.

While social media may be full of influencers stressing the significance of skincare and daily sunscreen use, a contrasting trend has emerged: the anti-sunscreen movement. Fuelled by social media users advocating for bronzed skin over sun protection, some influencers are dismissing the benefits of SPF.

But experts warn that this message poses a dangerous risk of skin cancer and premature aging.

“We know 100 per cent the risks of sun exposure without sunscreen. It’s like we know smoking causes cancer,” explained Sherry Torkos, an Ontario-based pharmacist and health author. “We know that unprotected sun exposure causes premature aging, wrinkling and increased risk of skin cancer, especially if you get a bad burn.“

Although one of the main causes of skin cancer is ultraviolet (UV) light, which is produced by the sun and tanning equipment, some social media users suggest that sunscreen use causes vitamin D deficiency and others say that chemical sunscreens themselves cause cancer.

One TikTok user, Gubba Homestead, posted a video last week asserting, “There is no proof that sun causes cancer.” Instead, the user claimed that melanoma rates surged following the popularity of sunscreen, attributing the cancer not to the sun itself but to the sunscreen and dietary habits.

Another user on the platform said she refuses to block the skin from the “healing rays of the sun” and instead said she uses coconut oil instead of sunscreen and does not wear sunglasses, and claimed, “watching the sunrise and watching the sunset can help just regulate the body and help you produce what you need to prevent sunburns as well.”

Dr. Julia Carroll, a Toronto-based dermatologist, said there is ample evidence that the main cause of skin cancer is the sun.

“The sun is the primary cause of skin cancer, also of premature aging,” she said. “And sunscreen is one of the ways that you can protect yourself from sunburns and it can decrease your risk of skin cancer. It can prevent fine lines and wrinkles and brown spots that most people don’t like.“