For decades you've been lead to believe one of the most unfortunate untruths in the medical community. You've been told you can get cancer from the sun with limited, everyday exposure. I'm glad to tell you nothing could be further from the truth. If you've been slathering on gobs of store-bought sunscreen to protect yourself from melanoma and other skin cancers, you may actually be increasing, not decreasing your risk.

Can You Really Get Cancer from the Sun?

So many people hide from the sun as soon as the weather gets warmer. They load up on the sunscreen and wear hats, sunglasses, and long-sleeved shirts even if they're only going to be outside a short time. Believe it or not, this practice doesn't protect you from skin cancer. It can increase your chance of getting skin cancer. I'll explain why in a moment.

Can you get cancer from the sun? Yes, if you're overexposed. I tell all my patients regardless of their skin color, you cannot "bake" in the sun for hours. It causes skin damage on a cellular level and can leave you at risk for the development of skin cancer. Plus, excessive tanning prematurely ages your skin making it look old, wrinkled, and leathery.

Vitamin D3 - The Missing Link in Melanoma Skin Cancer

When I first see a patient for any chronic health problem, I automatically check his or her vitamin D3 levels. This is because 85% of my patients are deficient in this essential steroid hormone on their initial screening, which correlates with nationwide studies.  I recommend a target range of 40-100 ng/ml and most folks fall way below this line. Scientific research has shown that incidents of melanoma skin cancer are highest among indoor workers. What's more, melanoma lesions are often found on parts of the body that are the least exposed to the sun.

Case #1: I have a female patient, 27 years of age, with very pale skin. A mole on the inside of her left leg looked dark and suspicious. It was removed and she was found to have stage 1A melanoma. This was a young woman who had critically low levels of vitamin D and wore sunblock each time she stepped outside for more than 10 minutes. She was not a sunbather and rarely burned. Her vitamin D3 level was raised back to therapeutic levels. She continues to do well.

Case #2:  (READ MORE ...)