The Shocking Truth: Is Sunscreen Doing More Harm Than Good? An Investigation into the Dangers of Sunscreen

Explore the controversies surrounding sunscreen usage, from concerns about chemical ingredients to the impact on vitamin D absorption and environmental harm.

We all know the obvious reasons why we should wear sunscreen, to help prevent sunburn and the development of melanoma, a deadly skin cancer. But, rubbing gobs of chemicals into our skin can’t be good either. For my senior capstone class in college, I was given the opportunity to explore a different perspective and present to my class the cons of sunscreen. I did some research, and this is what I learned.

The main problem associated with sunscreen is that it blocks the production of vitamin D in our skin. Vitamin D is essential to our overall health and the sun is the only natural source. The lack of vitamin D is proven to cause depression and other diseases such as osteoporosis. In severe cases, the preventable condition, “rickets” is reappearing in the population. Rickets is a childhood disease that causes bone softening that creates a bowing of the legs. The return of rickets can be attributed to both overuse of sunscreen and an increase in indoor lifestyles.

It is debatable whether or not the chemicals in sunscreen are worse for you than a sunburn and the…