According to a JAMA Dermatology study, both the incidence of and mortality from invasive melanoma in the United States have been rising during the past few decades. From 2009 to 2016, the incidence rate of melanoma increased from 22.2 to 23.6 per 100,000 population.

The current lifetime risk of melanoma jumped from 1 in 58 to 1 in 54. There are increases in all thicknesses of melanoma as well as an increase in the mortality rate associated with it.

For the last 30 years, we have been cautioned about the dangers of the sun. And for the last 30 years, we have been conditioned to use sunscreen whenever we are in the sun.

We have followed that advice, using more sunscreen than any people on the planet. The question is: Where are the data that sunscreen is working against melanoma?

The answer is that there are no data to support the continued use of sunscreen.

But that’s not how experts see it. The authors wrote, “It is important that people continue to avoid known risk factors, including excessive sun exposure, and take preventive steps when they are in areas with high UV [ultraviolet] levels. These measures include applying and reapplying sunscreen, wearing hats and sun protective clothing, and seeking shade.”

Sunscreen is a billion dollar industry. We are told over and over to use sunscreen when out in the sun. Yet this study shows that melanoma rates and death from melanoma are rising even as we use more and more sunscreen.

Other studies have shown that chemicals in sunscreen become toxic when applied to skin that is exposed to ultraviolet light.

We generate vitamin D in our skin when it is exposed to the sun. Sunscreen blocks this vitamin D-producing effect. I advise my patients to avoid sunburn by covering up when in the hot sun. I also tell them not to use sunscreen.

Melanoma rates are rising due to a combination of factors, including vitamin D deficiency and nutritional imbalances. Using more sunscreen will only exacerbate the vitamin D deficiency problem we are already facing.