However, such a role has not been demonstrated, and if it ever is, it is certainly a better idea to get vitamin D from diet and vitamin pills than from tanning. To recommend frying oneself at the beach or in an indoor tanning salon to prevent cancer is clearly ill advised at this point. The second idea, that sunscreens are bad for you, comes from a handful of epidemiologic studies. In these studies, sunscreen users were compared to nonusers. Of course, the fair-skinned people who burn easily are the ones who use sunscreen, and of course, this group has a higher incidence of skin cancer.
Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer.
In fact, the incidence of skin cancer exceeds the incidence of all other cancers combined and this rate of occurrence is increasing rapidly. It is well-established that exposure to ultraviolet radiation causes skin cancer as well as wrinkles and discolorations. Broad-spectrum sunscreens are part of an effective prevention strategy which also includes sun avoidance between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., wearing sun protective clothing, and seeking shade whenever possible. The American Academy of Dermatology, founded in 1938, is the largest, most influential, and most representative of all dermatologic associations. American Academy of Dermatology, 1999.