Sunblock or not?

Reader request: The harms of sunblock

2010 Eastern Wisconsin

My first thought was as with most issues, to weigh the facts and take the lesser of two evils. It's common knowledge the negative effects of sun exposure can cause painful burns, premature aging and even worse, cancer. It's hard to measure at what level is safe exposure. Some people can overdo it and never have a negative effect, while others can spend fifteen minutes outside and be sent running for some aloe relief or to the doctor getting a strange spot removed and biopsied. We know we do need some sun exposure to soak up that wonderful vitamin D, that helps with essential body functions, regulate our mood, and so on, and that only supplementing isn't always as effective at it. However it is believed you can still get your vitamin D with sunblock on. Unless you can avoid ever leaving the house during daylight hours, avoiding sun exposure completely is impossible, and why would you want to either.