Hello and welcome to the Nutrition Diva podcast on your host Monica Reinegel and this week

we're talking about natural sunscreens. Anna writes, I've been seeing articles about

making your own sunscreens from plant oils. But are these really enough to protect my skin

from UV damage? And what about supplements that are supposed to act as internal sunscreen?

Thanks to extensive messaging campaigns from the American Academy of Dermatology and lots of

others, most of us are well aware of the dangers of UV radiation. Unprotected exposure to the sun's

rays can lead to potentially lethal skin cancers, as well as accelerated skin aging. But before I

dig into Anna's question about skin protection, let me take this opportunity to dispel a couple of

dangerous skin cancer myths. Skin cancer does not just affect fair skinned people. People

of all skin colors can get skin cancer. And to skin cancers in black and Hispanic people are

more likely to go undiagnosed until they're in a much later stage when treatment is more difficult.

Another common misperception is that skin cancers only form on areas of the body that are exposed

to sunlight. When checking your skin for suspicious moles or spots, be sure to also check the

souls of your feet and other areas of the body that are typically covered because they can be affected.

And finally, if you do find a suspicious mole, you shouldn't wait until your next annual

physical to get it checked out. Melanoma, which is the most deadly form of skin cancer, can become

life-threatening in as little as six weeks. Now covering your skin with clothing or shading your

face with a hat can offer protection from the sun's rays. But for skin that's regularly exposed to

the sky, diligent application of sunscreen is going to be the best protection. But recent studies

have raised concerns about the chemical sunscreens that are most widely used in commercial sunscreen

products. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2020 found that

the chemicals found in these products, namely, avobenzone, oxybenzone, octocrylene,

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