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The findings have been difficult to discern for decades. In the 1980’s we became aware of the harmful nature of the sun’s rays. We slathered on the high-numbered SPFs from head to toe and blanketed our bodies in hats and umbrellas. And then Vitamin D deficiencies began to surface. Rickets, a side effect of a Vitamin D deficiency, even reemerged along with questions as to whether we were taking the safe sun message too far.
A lack of Vitamin D coupled with the dangerous sunscreens used to block the sun, have left many of us wondering where to find a healthy balance.
Get Your Vitamin D
Vitamin D is a crucial nutrient and the sun is by far the easiest way to get it. Deficiencies are linked to a host of chronic diseases including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, osteoporosis, breast cancer, colon cancer, and ovarian cancer. But how much sun is enough?
According to US News Health In the summer:
if you're fair skinned, experts say going outside for 10 minutes in the midday sun—in shorts and a tank top with no sunscreen—will give you enough radiation to produce about 10,000 international units of the vitamin. Dark-skinned individuals and the elderly also produce less vitamin D. The government's dietary recommendations are 200 IUs a day up to age 50, 400 IUs to age 70, and 600 IUs over 70.
This is enough to tide you over when it's not sunny enough. My skin is medium so I try and get outside for about 15 minutes a day in the summer without sunscreen on. But in the winter, depending on where you live, you may want to supplement your diet with Vitamin D rich foods.
If live north of Atlanta, you can't get enough Vitamin D from the sun because the sun never gets high enough in the sky for its ultraviolet B rays to penetrate the atmosphere.
Finding Safe Sunscreen
After that it's time to put on sunscreen. But which ones are safe. In recent years sunscreen has come under some serious fire for of all things, causing cancer instead of preventing it. In fact, the Environmental Working Group found that 84 percent of 785 sunscreen products with an SPF rating of 15 or higher offer inadequate protection from the sun’s harmful rays, or contain ingredients with safety concerns. Some of the chemicals used in the lotions break down and destabilize once the sun hits them causing further health concerns.
I’ve written on what to avoid when it comes to sunscreens before.
- Avoid spray or powder suntan lotions. You can actually inhale these small particles and they can potentially damage your lungs.
- Avoid oxybenzene. Some animal studies indicate we should be concerned about oxybenzone because it is found to have weak estrogenic effects in fish. What some experts suspect happens is that the body interprets the presence of the chemical as some sort of hormone according to EWG.
- Avoid fragrance. Artificial fragrances, which frequently contain phthalates, can also trigger allergic reactions and other health problems.
If you're concerned about a specific product, it's best to find out their safety for sure at
Environmental Working Group safe sunscreen site.
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More on Sunscreens
Go Green With Your Sunscreen
How to Find Sunscreens that Really Protect the Skin Without Harmful Chemicals
Why We Need Safer Sunscreens
