Whether or not you decide to protect your skin from the sun with sunscreen is a personal decision. Given the controversies surrounding sunscreen ingredients (including nano-sized titanium dioxide and zinc oxide) and vitamin D deficiencies, it is not automatically a slam – dunk decision. Nonetheless, what is 100% certain is that not using sunscreen on a daily, regimented basis, and combining that with prolonged exposure to the sun, getting a tan or sunburn, and using tanning machines (with or without sun protection) damages the skin, causes premature wrinkles, some forms of skin cancer, skin discolorations, loss of elasticity, and suppression of the immune system. Using sunscreen, wearing sun-protective clothing, and avoiding prolonged, direct sun exposure is the only way to reduce that inevitable fate for your skin. For me, that is enough to make a compelling argument for wearing sunscreen and being sun smart. No one but you can protect your skin from the sun. (Source: Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, May 2008, pages S149—S154.)
So the decision is yours. I am still going to encourage sun protection and sun avoidance along with vitamin D supplementation because these are by far the best anti-wrinkle, anti-aging miracle we have in the world of skin care. Everything else is an afterthought,
and potentially helpful, yet no other options will nullify or alter the ravages of the sun. The following information in this chapter is to help you make decisions about what to use, when to use it, and how to use it.