Sanitizing your way to skin cancer?

My neighbor recently went through multiple surgeries for skin cancer. Months of pain and serious scarring and she’s one of the lucky ones – because she survived.

The whole situation really got me thinking about my risks too and all I can say is, “Yikes!”

When I think about how I used to lay out in the sun for hours as a teenager, slathered in oil and hoping for that perfect tan, it makes me cringe. You may have done the same thing.

Now, there’s one more thing to worry about when it comes to your risk of ending up with skin cancer and, like avoiding too much time in the sun, it’s something you can control…

Beneficial skin bacteria

Researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine decided to take a look at what role the bacteria on your skin play in protecting you against cancer.

You see, there are certain strains of bacteria that are absolutely natural and healthy to have on your skin, like Staphylococcus epidermidis, or S. epidermidis.

That’s because the S. epidermidis strain produces the chemical compound 6-N-hydroxyaminopurine (6-HAP), which impairs the creation of DNA, known as DNA synthesis, prevents the spread of transformed tumor cells and suppresses the development of UV-induced skin tumors.

In other words, 6-HAP may be able to protect you from getting cancer even when you are exposed to UV-light, like all those days spent tanning.

Here’s what they found…

• Mice without the S. epidermis strain that produces 6-HAP had many skin tumors after being exposed to UV light.
• Mice with the S. epidermis stain that produces 6-HAP did not.

And, guess what?

In mice that already had melanoma (a very deadly form of skin cancer), 6-HAP was able to suppress tumor cells by 50 percent compared to controls.

That’s one powerful little chemical!

So, what does this mean to you?

That means that protecting and preserving the 6-HAP producing bacteria, S. epidermis on your skin could be one of the most important things you do to prevent skin cancer, So, how do you do that?

There’s one simple answer…

Stop sanitizing your way to skin cancer.

That’s right – those little bottles of hand sanitizer you whip out to protect yourself from cold and flu germs don’t just kill the bad viruses and bacteria on your skin, they kill the good ones too (like S. epidermis).

Instead of those chemical hand sanitizers that destroy your good bacteria, make your own natural hand sanitizer using essential oils with no alcohol to allow your good bacteria to flourish. Try mixing lavender, tea tree oil, witch hazel extract, aloe, and vitamin E oil in a spray bottle with a bit of water to use as needed.

It’s time to stop stripping the good bacteria from your skin and with it your natural defense against skin cancer. Ditch those chemical hand sanitizers and make your own safe, natural version at home to preserve the good bacteria on your skin and protect yourself from cancer.