Author: Jamie SchneiderJune 16, 2023mbg Beauty & Wellness EditorBy Jamie Schneidermbg Beauty & Wellness EditorJamie Schneider is the Beauty & Wellness Editor at mindbodygreen. She has a B.A. in Organizational Studies and English from the University of Michigan, and her work has appeared in Coveteur, The Chill Times, and Wyld Skincare.Image by Rene de Haan / StocksyJune 16, 2023Our editors have independently chosen the products listed on this page. If you purchase something mentioned in this article, we may earn a small commission.The sun has a bad rap in the beauty space. So often you'll hear beauty experts disclosing the dangers of powerful UV rays and the importance of protecting your skin every single day, rain or shine. These warnings are well warranted, as excess sun exposure is associated with some pretty serious potential skin health concerns.
But the sun is literally a source of life! It impacts your mood and mental health! It provides you with essential vitamin D! That last point, however, isn't so cut and dried. According to board-certified dermatologist Shasa Hu, M.D., professor at the University of Miami who specializes in skin cancer detection, the link between sunlight and vitamin D is trickier than you think.
Advertisement
This ad is displayed using third party content and we do not control its accessibility features.In fact, you can soak up the sun until you're at serious risk of skin cancer and still remain vitamin D deficient. Here, she explains a better way to get your fill of the sunshine hormone.
The tricky link between vitamin D & sun exposure
Here's the thing: You can get vitamin D from sunlight, but for many, sun exposure alone is not enough to provide all the vitamin D that your body needs.
Even if you're outside in the heat all day long, you still may be vitamin D deficient. "In one study, [researchers] followed migrant farmworkers in Florida, as well as farmworkers in Hawaii," Hu says on a recent episode of Clean Beauty School. "They found significant vitamin D deficiency in farmworkers who don't use sunscreen. So even if you work outside on the field eight hours a day in various sunny [conditions], you can still be vitamin D deficient."
What's more, attempting to get enough vitamin D from sunlight risks exposing you to unsafe skin practices. Excess sun exposure, after all, is the source of about 80% of visible signs of skin aging1 and a major cause of serious skin issues (the most notable being melanoma). And even if you ignore these risks, you still might wind up vitamin D deficient!
How to get enough vitamin D
The question becomes: How do you get enough vitamin D without increasing your risk of skin cancer and accelerated skin aging?
Says Hu, "It's much safer and more reliable to take a vitamin D [supplement] than go in the sun, get sunburned and potentially skin cancer because of that fear of vitamin D deficiency."
One study even pinned supplementation and sunshine against each other, finding that those who took a modest level of oral vitamin D supplementation (1,000 IU of D3 taken daily) experienced an increase in vitamin D blood levels. Participants who chose to rely on sunlight exposure, on the other hand, had no significant increase. Another study even found that people who regularly took vitamin D supplements were less likely to have melanoma!
vitamin D3 potency+
Optimized vitamin D3 with absorption technology for whole-body health*
★ ★ ★ ★ ★★ ★ ★ ★ ★(93)
Shop now
Shop now"There are also a lot of other studies supporting that our skin's capacity to convert vitamin D from sun exposure declines over age2, but our GI absorption stays relatively stable," Hu explains. Meaning, older adults experience a reduced capacity to produce vitamin D33 from UVB radiation (aka, sunshine).
But a food-only approach also fails when it comes to optimal vitamin D status. That's why many health experts recommend taking a multifaceted approach4, including high-quality supplements.
Updated research points to 5,000 IU of vitamin D3 per day, regardless of where you live, the tone of your skin, or what time of year it is—here, you can find a list of our favorite vitamin D supplements with this potent dose.
Advertisement
This ad is displayed using third party content and we do not control its accessibility features.The takeaway
Look, sun exposure is necessary for a healthy, full life. It's excess sun exposure that becomes an issue over time, so please, continue to take measures to protect your skin from UV rays. If you are worried about getting enough vitamin D, Hu (and plenty of other experts) say supplementation is the surefire way to go. Just make sure you're taking an optimal form and dose—here's how to vet your favorite formula.
Jamie Schneidermbg Beauty & Wellness EditorJamie Schneider is the Beauty & Wellness Editor at mindbodygreen. She has a B.A. in Organizational Studies and English from the University of Michigan, and her work has appeared in Coveteur, The Chill Times, and Wyld Skincare. In her role at mbg, she reports on everything from the top beauty industry trends, to the gut-skin connection and the microbiome, to the latest expert makeup hacks. She currently lives in New York City.
4 Sources
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3790843/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3782116/#:~:text=Aging%20reduces%20vitamin%20D%20production,the%20formation%20of%20previtamin%20D3.
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4384440/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3897598/
