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Comment by unobatbayar | Hacker News Reader

This is why daily full-body sunlight exposure of 15-20 minutes without sunglasses and sunscreen is important.

To kill yourself by getting skin cancer?

Not a particularly high risk so long as you get suspicious skin changes checked out. Melanoma has an incredibly good prognosis so long as it's caught early, and unlike most cancers you have a very good chance of catching it early with adequate vigilance.

That's a whole lot of "if".

Honestly, I just find it hard to care about skin cancer all that much. I gotta die from something at some point, and I feel like covering my skin in nasty oils and stuff on every nice summer day is too much a price for me just to die from "not skin cancer". Because now every nice day is a little bit less nice.

Ofc I'm a bit lucky because I can at least tan somewhat, so if I just taper up my sun exposure in the spring I don't really get burned.

There are better and worse ways of dying though. Getting cancer while you're still young enough to have fun and enjoy life and spending a lot of time in pain and going from one doctor to another isn't really how I want to go.

You say that as if there's a choice when really there isn't. It's fundamentally out of my control what kills me. Hell, the cancer could be growing already, or the clot or aneurism. And the amount of crap you get exposed to just drinking the water and breathing the air these days, not to mention the food you eat. You could try to minimise carcinogens but in the end it's basically a lost battle unless you completely isolate yourself from society and the outside world.

Also, if I do get terminal cancer I'm not doing those cycles of pointless chemo and radiation. I'll simply live on until the cancer becomes too unbearable, at which point I'll accept my fate and die.

Stop spreading misinformation. This is HN not reddit.

What misinformation exactly? That everyone will die one day, and that they can't choose how no matter how hard they try?

Avoiding sunlight is way more deadly than skin cancer, to a limit. You should get sun, but not too much.

15 minutes in the sun is low risk.

Probably not at UV index 6+. Get your sun in the morning or late afternoon before the sun becomes too violent.

You've obviously not met a British person at the beach.

Care to provide some scientific evidence?

Sun exposure is indeed harmful when it's excessive. 15 minutes of sun exposure is not considered excessive but is actually a recommended amount (of course, this amount could vary depending on the season, your skin complexion, and location).

Here are some benefits of moderate sun exposure:

1. Our bodies naturally synthesize vitamin D when our skin is exposed to sunlight. Vitamin D is essential for calcium absorption, bone health, and supporting our immune system. Getting a small amount of sun exposure, particularly during the early morning or late afternoon when the sun's rays are less intense, can help maintain adequate vitamin D levels.

2. Sunlight also has a positive impact on our mental well-being. Sun exposure stimulates the production of serotonin, a hormone that contributes to feelings of happiness and relaxation. This is why many people experience improved mood and overall well-being when they spend time outdoors in the sunlight.

3. Natural exposure to sunlight during the day helps regulate our internal body clock, known as the circadian rhythm. This promotes healthy sleep patterns, making it easier to fall asleep at night and wake up refreshed in the morning.

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