Vitamin D from the sun, is it safe to be in the sun?

So controversial this topic! The sun is up, the beach blanket is perfectly laid out without the bumps, you nestle yourself into your “spot” and let the sun do it’s work on your skin. Be careful not to go into the sun unprotected without your sunscreen. We carry a moisturizer with sunscreen to protect the skin from UVA/UVA damage. I was always a super tanner when I was a teenager and now I have freckles and dark spots that are on my shoulders and chest. Not cute. I wish I had been taught more about skin but honestly I didn’t care and it was all about the iodine oil slathered all over and I certainly looked red which stained my skin. It didn’t protect me at all. I also was brought up to use the cocoa butter straight off the block melted in the sun and I slathered that all over my body but had the most amazing brown skin a girl could have. I could have won a trophy on my browness.

The benefits of being outside and in the sun are a better emotional sense of well being. Certainly individuals that suffer from some depression get perked up during the summer months. Vitamin D is essential for our hair, skin and nails but now with the technology we have today, we can certainly enjoy one pill a month containing full strength Vitamin D without the scary effects of sun exposure. Even a littel bit of sun causes cellular damage that can lead to aging and cancer. Recommended daily supplement containing 400 to 1,000 IU are normal but as always check with your doctor on your Vitamin D levels.

Using the tanning bed will increase your risk for melanoma by up by 75% according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer and 90 percent of signs of aging such as wrinkles, brown spots are caused by UV radiation. Unfortunately, the skin will fade and the top layer will peel off but the damage has been done and can go to the deep levels of your skin depending on how badly the burn is. Remember seeing the big pasty white guys on the beach that looked like a lobster? Case in point he should have used more sun screen and built up to that type of intense sun. My favorite is when someone has fallen asleep and forgot to put on sunscreen and they had their hand across their face. While that lasts a few weeks until it fades.

Recommendation use self tanners because that will give you the feeling of a tan and you will likely spend less time in the sun. We have Guinot self tanners at Indulge Salon that are healthy and give an even tan.