SKIN CANCER IS MORE COMMON IN INDOOR WORKERS AND REGIONS THAT RECEIVE LESS SUNLIGHT.
This is a fact. Look at Europe, the United States, and the equator. Regions that typically receive more sunlight have lower rates of skin cancer:
- European countries like Greece, Italy, and Spain have some of the lowest rates of skin cancer in Europe.
- Northern states in the U.S. have higher rates of skin cancer than southern states.
- The equator is notorious for having some of the lowest rates of skin cancer in the world.
The sun is the number one source of bioavailable vitamin D3, which is anti-cancerous. Studies show a strong link between low vitamin D levels and cancer.
Think about it: skin cancer is currently at an all-time high, but sun exposure is at an all-time low due to the influx of office jobs and indoor entertainment. So why are we still blaming the sun when the real danger is a lack of sunlight?
1. Indoor Workers and Rising Skin Cancer Rates
Most people spend their lives under fluorescent lights, glued to screens, and stepping outside only long enough to walk from the car to the office door. Shockingly, studies show that indoor workers actually have higher rates of melanoma than outdoor workers. How does that make sense if the sun is the villain? The truth is, our bodies evolved to rely on the sun for vitamin D and circadian regulation. When we’re deprived, our risk of disease goes up, not down.
2. Sunny Europe: Greece, Italy, and Spain
Travel through southern Europe and you’ll notice something: people spend a lot of time outdoors, eating, walking, and yes, soaking in the sun. Countries like Greece, Italy, and Spain consistently report lower rates of skin cancer compared to northern Europe. Sunlight isn’t destroying their health, it’s supporting it. Maybe the Mediterranean lifestyle knows something modern “sunscreen nation” forgot.
3. North vs. South in the United States
In the U.S., there’s a clear north-south divide. States like Vermont, Minnesota, and Maine see higher rates of skin cancer than states like Florida or Texas. If sunlight were the problem, southern states should be a hotbed of skin cancer—but the opposite is true. Northern residents get less UV exposure, more vitamin D deficiency, and higher cancer risk.
4. Hospitals Once Prescribed Sunshine
If the sun is so dangerous, why did hospitals once have sun decks on their roofs? Doctors used to prescribe heliotherapy (sunlight therapy) for conditions ranging from tuberculosis to rickets. These physicians recognized the healing power of UV rays long before SPF 50 became a daily ritual. Were they wrong, or have we been brainwashed into fearing what once healed?
5. Why Do I Look Good With a Tan?
There’s a reason people feel more vibrant with a summer glow. A healthy tan signals that your body has produced melanin, the natural sunscreen that also acts as an antioxidant. That “sun-kissed” look isn’t just vanity—it’s biology at work, a sign of resilience and adaptation.
6. The Sunscreen Paradox
Here’s a curveball: skin cancer rates have gone up since sunscreen became mainstream. Could blocking the very rays that generate protective vitamin D be part of the problem? Many sunscreens also contain questionable chemicals that disrupt hormones and damage coral reefs. Yet we’re told to lather them on daily. Who benefits from this narrative? Spoiler: not your health.
7. The Equator Conundrum
If sunlight equals skin cancer, then the equator should be ground zero. But it’s the opposite. Countries straddling the equator—where UV exposure is the most intense—have the lowest skin cancer rates in the world. The real danger is not sunlight, but modern living that strips us of daily sun exposure while adding toxins and processed food to the mix.
8. Photoreceptors: Sunlight in Your Eyes
Your skin isn’t the only part of you that thrives on sunlight. Specialized photoreceptors in your eyes help regulate circadian rhythm, hormone production, and even immune function. Morning sunlight exposure through the eyes (without sunglasses) signals to your brain that it’s time to wake up, optimize cortisol, and set the stage for melatonin release later at night. Sunlight literally sets your biological clock.
Closing Thoughts
Skin cancer is more complicated than “the sun is bad.” When we look at the data, the pattern is undeniable: less sunlight equals more cancer risk. Humans evolved in full-spectrum light, and our health depends on it. Maybe it’s time to stop demonizing the very force that makes life possible and start asking deeper questions about what modern living has stolen from us.
References
- Garland, Cedric F., et al. "Indoor Occupations and Increased Melanoma Risk." Annals of Epidemiology, vol. 9, no. 7, 1999, pp. 455–459.
- Boniol, Mathieu, et al. "Geographical Variations in Melanoma Incidence." European Journal of Cancer, vol. 48, no. 14, 2012, pp. 2183–2191.
- Jemal, Ahmedin, et al. "Melanoma Patterns in the United States." Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, vol. 65, no. 5, 2011, pp. S17–S25.
- Hobday, Richard A. The Healing Sun: Sunlight and Health in the 21st Century. Findhorn Press, 1999.
- Slominski, Andrzej, et al. "Melanin Pigmentation in Mammalian Skin and Its Biological Role." Physiological Reviews, vol. 84, no. 4, 2004, pp. 1155–1228.
- Autier, Philippe, et al. "Sunscreen Use and Increased Incidence of Melanoma." British Journal of Dermatology, vol. 161, no. 1, 2009, pp. 117–124.
- Moan, Johan, et al. "Sunlight, Vitamin D, and Skin Cancer Paradox." Cancer Causes & Control, vol. 19, no. 7, 2008, pp. 721–730.
- Cajochen, Christian, et al. "Role of Blue Light and Photoreceptors in Circadian Regulation." Journal of Biological Rhythms, vol. 20, no. 4, 2005, pp. 326–338.