Sunshine? Did they get it wrong?

[audreyh1]

You mean ... where the sun don't shine? OMG!

Well, yes - that is one of the areas people get melanoma.

 

[albireo13]

Aaagh!

 

[JohnML]

Yes, but nonmelanoma skin cancer is MUCH less life-threatening than melanoma. 75% of NMSC cases are basal cell carcinomas, which rarely if ever spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body. The other 25% are typically squamous cell carcinoma, which can infrequently metastasize, but it's still far less serious than melanoma. Melanoma is the skin cancer that is most likely to kill you, as it is much more likely to metastasize, making treatment difficult.

Of course, no one wants to develop either type of skin cancer, but since there is some evidence that getting adequate sun exposure (without burning the skin), and the Vitamin D you are getting from that sun exposure, actually decreases your chances of developing melanoma, I certainly have no concerns about getting a reasonable amount of sun exposure.

I had melanoma on my back that was caught in time to stop it from spreading. For several years after I avoided the sun like a vampire. But after doing some reading I came to the decision that some sun exposure is probably better. I never allow myself to burn but I also never wear sun screen. I try to get the amount of sunlight that my own skin can handle without burning. I read a theory somewhere a long time ago that sunscreen blocks rays that burn skin letting you to stay in the sun longer than your natural skin would allow. But more time in the sun may be letting you get more exposure to damage from other rays that sunscreen does not effectively block.

 

[EastWest Gal]

Oh cmon this thread is like an antivaxer blog. The average lifespan of Anyone in 1850 was just 45 years old even if they had a cushy job inside all day.

The average lifespan at any given time is based on all ages. What brought the lifespan down 175 years ago was the large numbers of infants and children who died from infections at a very young age, infections that are largely under control thanks to vaccines.

If you take 10 people, and two die at 2 months of age and the other 8 live to 80, the average lifespan is 64 years. If half of them die at 2 months, then the average lifespan is 40.