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The health benefits of sunlight may outweigh the risk of skin cancer

economist.com

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Re: The health benefits of sunlight may outweigh the risk of skin cancer

#31

Post by imp0cat »

harperlee wrote: post #28
bob1029 wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've found the same with direct sunlight exposure. My distance vision is much sharper if I've been outside a lot recently. It seems similar to how exercise works elsewhere in the body. You can definitely get a neuromuscular reaction if the incident angle of the sunlight is direct enough. The trick (as with all forms of exercise) is moderation.

Might it be that when outside you tend to look farther than when inside? So distance vision gets used more and body adapts. Similar to how kids that spend time outside are less shortsighted.

Also, bright light will help the eye to focus. It's the same principle as if you were using a camera with a small aperture (and larger DOF, keeping more things in focus).

Re: The health benefits of sunlight may outweigh the risk of skin cancer

#32

Post by xeonmc »

lqet wrote: post #25

Every winter since I was a kid, I get Keratosis pilaris [0] on my inner upper arms, which is a bit of a nuisance. After the first day of spring sun in a T-Shirt, it disappears completely within days. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keratosis_pilaris

Oh, I've always thought it's just a lack of sweating causing your dead skins to grow over the pores, didn't realize that it's actually a mysterious medical condition?

Re: The health benefits of sunlight may outweigh the risk of skin cancer

#33

Post by pinkmuffinere »

It’s tempting to see things like this and think “well of course it does, because that’s how we evolved”. But I think that might just be post-rationalization? At the very least, I think the argument _doesn’t_ hold for periodic famine, extreme temperatures, most disease, etc even though we also evolved with those things. Is there any guiding principle that separates the things-we-evolved-with-that-are-good vs the -that-are-bad? Or is it really just a case-by-case examination?

Re: The health benefits of sunlight may outweigh the risk of skin cancer

#34

Post by manmal »

lqet wrote: post #25

Every winter since I was a kid, I get Keratosis pilaris [0] on my inner upper arms, which is a bit of a nuisance. After the first day of spring sun in a T-Shirt, it disappears completely within days. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keratosis_pilaris

Have you tried irradiating with near infrared light in the winter? Eg with a cheap CCTV IR light off aliexpress.

Re: The health benefits of sunlight may outweigh the risk of skin cancer

#35

Post by Jweb_Guru »

pinkmuffinere wrote: post #33

It’s tempting to see things like this and think “well of course it does, because that’s how we evolved”. But I think that might just be post-rationalization? At the very least, I think the argument _doesn’t_ hold for periodic famine, extreme temperatures, most disease, etc even though we also evolved with those things. Is there any guiding principle that separates the things-we-evolved-with-that-are-good vs the -that…

Entirely case by case. It's further confounded by the fact that a bunch of things that are bad for us don't exert strong selective pressure in the first place.

Re: The health benefits of sunlight may outweigh the risk of skin cancer

#36

Post by trallnag »

phito wrote: post #8
uncircle wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is a lot of weird discussion on English-speaking forums that you should always always wear sunscreen, even if the day is grey, because skin cancer is a constant risk. I do not get if it’s a massive and long-running marketing campaign that has brainwashed the entire population, if it’s because many living in US and UK have a very white skin tone thus burn easily, or what else. Skin cancer is a fact of life, but…

> for a species that evolved in the sun, I do not believe one bit that sun exposure, which incidentally is linked to many benefits because it’s so bloody normal, is something that can only be dealt with modern technology and we should be deathly afraid of it. Sure, UV radiation can cause mutations, but our immune system has evolved over billions of years to deal with this exact problem. Yeah, most of the time our imm…

While we may be one species, there are very obvious differences between some ethnic groups and ancestral clusters.

Re: The health benefits of sunlight may outweigh the risk of skin cancer

#37

Post by trallnag »

calebm wrote: post #9

I am very white, but getting sun feels very healthy for my skin. Obviously I don't want to get burned bad, but good sun exposure helps my skin feel softer and less inflamed. My grandfather also spent most of his days out in the sun gardening, and my mom was just commenting a few months ago about how surprisingly smooth his skin is (and he's 92).

And then another person (of North European ancestry looks) like a brown leatherbag at 50. Anecdotal evidence is sadly not worth a lot.

Re: The health benefits of sunlight may outweigh the risk of skin cancer

#38

Post by ZaoLahma »

As with everything, I guess do it in moderation and don't be stupid...?

Planning on being out a full day under the summer sun as a very pale north European? Slob on all the sunscreen that you can and hide in the shade when possible.

A day out in mid September / mid March when the sun is not looking to murder you? Revel in it. Soak it up. Be a plant.

Re: The health benefits of sunlight may outweigh the risk of skin cancer

#39

Post by Ekaros »

trallnag wrote: post #37
calebm wrote: post #9

I am very white, but getting sun feels very healthy for my skin. Obviously I don't want to get burned bad, but good sun exposure helps my skin feel softer and less inflamed. My grandfather also spent most of his days out in the sun gardening, and my mom was just commenting a few months ago about how surprisingly smooth his skin is (and he's 92).

And then another person (of North European ancestry looks) like a brown leatherbag at 50. Anecdotal evidence is sadly not worth a lot.

Some pictures of truck drivers are also good counter examples. The side with more exposure tend to look older.

Re: The health benefits of sunlight may outweigh the risk of skin cancer

#40

Post by worthless-trash »

ehnto wrote: post #14
ponchel wrote: post #4

Who actually thought that getting sunlight was bad ?

Quite a lot of people. People in Australia are educated about the risk of sun exposure in school for one. Another is cultures who view being pale as a beauty standard.

Slip, Slop, Slap.
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