Reality TV star Kristin Cavallari has a hot take on sunscreen that’s getting burned on social media.
The “Hills” star received backlash for saying that she doesn’t wear sunscreen after a clip of her “Let’s Be Honest” podcast went viral this week.
Dr. Andrea Suarez, a dermatologist who regularly shares skin care-related content online under the name Dr. Dray, pushed back on Cavallari’s remarks in a TikTok video posted Monday.
Suarez warned about the dangers of skin cancer while addressing claims from the podcast that suggested sunscreen may be unnecessary.
A representative for Cavallari did not immediately return HuffPost’s request for comment.
In the podcast clip, which came from a “Let’s Be Honest” episode released in January, Cavallari discussed sun exposure with a guest named Ryan Monahan, who practices functional and Eastern medicine, according to his website.
“I want to discuss the sun and sunscreen, which I know is controversial,” Cavallari told Monahan. “I don’t wear sunscreen. And anytime I do an interview I get a lot of shit when I admit that I don’t.”
She then asked Monahan to discuss the “health benefits of the sun and why we maybe don’t need sunscreen.”
“It’s a very controversial topic, which is so funny because it’s the sun,” he said. “We’ve literally spent our whole existence as humans under the sun all day until the last hundred years or so.”
He then said that many people live an “inflammatory lifestyle.”
“If you live an anti-inflammatory lifestyle, you take a lot of antioxidant supplementation and you work up your base coat in the sun, you can start to tolerate the sun instead of burning,” he said, adding that he’s previously built up enough tolerance that he could be “in the sun for the whole day without any sunscreen.”
In her TikTok video, Suarez argued that there’s more emphasis on sun protection nowadays due in part to the fact that people are living longer.
She also addressed the claim about antioxidants providing sun protection. Although anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds found in some foods can help the skin “be better equipped … to handle some of the damaging consequences of ultraviolet radiation,” she said that “this doesn’t protect your skin from UV rays.”
Raymond Hall via Getty Images
The Mayo Clinic recommends using a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher as one of several sun safety practices to reduce the risk of skin cancer.
A 2022 study published in the journal Healthcare found that sunscreen use was associated with a lower prevalence of skin cancer. It also suggested that preventive measures such as staying in the shade and wearing long-sleeved shirts were not as effective for skin cancer prevention.
On Tuesday, other people on social media criticized Cavallari and Monahan after Suarez shared her video on Instagram.
“They are really just making things up as they go,” one Instagram user wrote in the comments section.
“That’s scary thinking! Wear SPF 30 or higher, folks,” wrote another.
“Science people science. They should be penalized for spreading misinformation,” a third user said.
Cavallari has also received backlash in the past for her health-related stances and antivaccine remarks.