Abstract
That excessive sun exposure is the principal cause of skin cancer is acknowledged universally. Yet emerging evidence that insufficient sun exposure may be associated with an increased risk of noncutaneous diseases, including some internal cancers, is leading to a reappraisal of the exact balance requried in terms of our solar UV exposure for optimum health. Some commentators have argued that current public health campaigns that advise people to limit their sun exposure may be resulting in more harm than good and calls have been made for these campaigns to be abolished. I will argue that this approach is not the way forward; rather we should promulgate different messages depending upon whether our exposure is elective (high dose) or adventitious (low dose).
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