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There was a very interesting essay that circulated earlier this year called "Is sunscreen the new margarine?" [1]. It was on the front page of HN [2]. Accordin

There was a very interesting essay that circulated earlier this year called "Is sunscreen the new margarine?" [1]. It was on the front page of HN [2]. According to the article there's also some evidence that long-term sun exposure correlated with a decreased risk of melanoma (outdoor workers have half the melanoma rate of indoor workers!). The hypothesis is that a tan protects against the DNA damage that causes it. Some of the researchers quoted in the article believe that dermatology has gone too far in considering UV exposure a health risk, and that we're due for a correction in that thinking, because there's too much evidence that UV light is, in fact, healthy. [1] https://www.outsideonline.com/2380751/sunscreen-sun-exposure-skin-cancer-science https://www.outsideonline.com/2380751/sunscreen-sun-exposure... [2] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18890475 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18890475

gniv 7y ago
Thanks for linking to that article. I'd like to quote from the same paragraph that you quoted, about the outdoor workers: “The risk factor for melanoma appears to be intermittent sunshine and sunburn, especially when you’re young,” Sunburn is the real culprit. And according to my dermatologist, a sunburn now can cause melanoma 20 years hence. Do not get sunburnt!
- A_Parr 7y ago
  Sunburn is cell death due to DNA damage. It's a fail-safe that tries to limit the chance of things like melanoma by killing damaged cells off before they can reproduce. The real culprit is the small chance some cells didn't die off and an even smaller subset manage to replicate with damaged DNA. The actual sunburn is just an indicator that you've exposed a number of skin cells to those odds.
cactus2093 7y ago
Seems like obvious selection bias. People who sunburn easily (and are thus more susceptible to melanoma) are less likely to take jobs that require working all day in direct sun.
- atombender 7y ago
  Do you have data showing that, or are you just guessing because it "makes sense"?

gniv 7y ago

Thanks for linking to that article. I'd like to quote from the same paragraph that you quoted, about the outdoor workers: “The risk factor for melanoma appears to be intermittent sunshine and sunburn, especially when you’re young,” Sunburn is the real culprit. And according to my dermatologist, a sunburn now can cause melanoma 20 years hence. Do not get sunburnt!

A_Parr 7y ago
Sunburn is cell death due to DNA damage. It's a fail-safe that tries to limit the chance of things like melanoma by killing damaged cells off before they can reproduce. The real culprit is the small chance some cells didn't die off and an even smaller subset manage to replicate with damaged DNA. The actual sunburn is just an indicator that you've exposed a number of skin cells to those odds.

cactus2093 7y ago

Seems like obvious selection bias. People who sunburn easily (and are thus more susceptible to melanoma) are less likely to take jobs that require working all day in direct sun.

atombender 7y ago
Do you have data showing that, or are you just guessing because it "makes sense"?