Stop Drinking Sunscreen!

Dr. Cannell, should I use sunscreens or cosmetics 
that contain sunscreens?

Hundreds of people have asked me this question. 
It's important to remember that many cosmetics 
contain sunscreens. My short answer is, "If you 
are comfortable drinking sunscreens, then you should 
feel comfortable putting them on your skin." At 
least three studies have found that the chemicals 
commonly used in sunscreens are absorbed through the 
skin and end up circulating in your blood stream. As 
they circulate in your blood, they go to your internal 
organs - where they do whatever those chemicals may do 
there. Then they are excreted in your urine. If you 
drink them the same thing would happen. Sunblocks that 
have old style zinc or titanium oxide as their only 
active ingredients are not absorbed by the skin. Zinc 
oxide used to be a gooey paste, now it is emulsified, 
and may, or may not, be absorbed systemically. It 
blocks light, just like clothes. I remember a beach 
in France where a beautiful young woman had carefully 
applied the old gooey red zinc oxide to her body in 
the shape of a tiny red bikini. She couldn't sit down 
because the sand would stick to her.  She was naked but 
you had to look twice (which I did) to see just how 
naked she was.

    * J Invest Dermatol. 2004 Jul;123(1):57-61.
    * J Chromatogr B Biomed Appl. 1996 Jun 28;682(1):137-45.
    * J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci. 
      2004 Apr 25;803(2):225-31.

Furthermore, sunscreens facilitate the skin's absorption 
of pesticides. So, if you want pesticides to be readily 
absorbed through your skin, circulate in your blood, go 
to your internal organs, and be excreted in your urine, 
wear sunscreens. Or, you could take a swig of your 
Coppertone and chase it with a shot of Deepwoods Off.

    * Toxicol Ind Health. 2003 Feb;19(1):9-16.
    * Toxicol Ind Health. 2003 Feb;19(1):1-8.
    * Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 2004 Mar 15;195(3):348-54.
    * J Toxicol Clin Toxicol. 2002;40(7):827-32.

Finally, if you think your sunscreen is preventing your 
skin from turning red just by blocking solar radiation, 
think again. Sunscreens inhibit an enzyme in your skin 
that makes nitric acid and one of the functions of nitric 
acid is to inflame your skin. The inflammation then signals 
your immune system to start protecting your skin and tells 
you to get out of the sun. Sunscreens block nitric acid 
formation, the skin doesn't redden, the immune system isn't
notified, you stay longer in the sun, your skin is damaged, 
and you increase your risk of skin cancer and premature 
aging. Melanoma Res. 2005 Feb;15(1):3-6.

I call this combinations of events - drinking sunscreen and 
insecticides while blocking your immune system's ability to 
protect your skin - the "Gilchrest Phenomenon," named after 
the Chairwoman of Dermatology at Boston University who funds 
her department with grants from the sunscreen/cosmetic industry.

There's lots more in this newsletter including how to approach sun exposure and suntans. And also very interesting is a discussion of the cause of kidney stones. Connell appears to be reaching conclusions similar to Loran Cordain. This being the point about acid loading caused by western diets. I encourage you to read the whole newsletter when you have some time.

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