WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Many celebrities and influencers are urging their followers to avoid sunscreens claiming that the chemicals in them cause skin cancer and vitamin D deficiencies, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.
'We are literally rubbing cancer into our skins,' a TikTok influencer said in a viral video last year, whereas another one wrote, 'I don't wear sunscreen, and I never will. We blame the sun for cancer when we should be blaming our diets.Sunscreen and a poor diet will make you sick.'
Some creators urged followers to take advantage of the sun's natural healing power, while others advised them to use only homemade sunscreen.
In response to the claims, many dermatologists have come forward supporting the sensible use of sunscreen as excess exposure to sun leads to sunburn, skin cancer and accelerated aging.
'The benefits of sunscreen aren't one-size-fits-all. There is little evidence ultraviolet radiation exposure is associated with melanoma in nonwhite people. They are at lower risk of developing skin cancer and need more sun exposure to generate adequate vitamin D than white people', said Dr. Adewole Adamson, a dermatologist and assistant professor of internal medicine at the University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School. 'For people with darker skin tones, sunscreen is more a tool for preventing wrinkles and other signs of aging'.
Moreover, the U.S. Food and Drugs Administration has designated sunscreens as over-the-counter drugs. However, the agency's studies found that the sunscreen's contents - oxybenzone and avobenzone are easily absorbed in the blood at high levels.
'Just because it's there doesn't mean it's doing anything bad,' clarified Dr. Adam Friedman, chair of dermatology at George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences to the publisher.
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