Health + Wellness — sun damage

Sunlight plays an important role in helping the body produce vitamin D, a nutrient essential for bone health, immune function, and overall wellness. When the skin is exposed to ultraviolet B (UVB) rays, it naturally begins synthesizing vitamin D, although factors such as skin tone, location, season, sunscreen use, age, and time spent outdoors can affect production levels. Maintaining a balanced approach to sun exposure while practicing safe sun protection habits can help support healthy vitamin D levels without increasing the risk of excessive UV damage. There’s a lot of confusion surrounding sunlight and the production of Vitamin D. People...

Ozone depletion increases the amount of ultraviolet (UV) radiation that reaches the Earth’s surface, which can negatively affect both skin and eye health. Higher UV exposure may contribute to premature skin aging, sunburn, skin damage, and increased risk of certain eye conditions such as cataracts and irritation. Protecting the skin and eyes through broad-spectrum sun protection, UV-blocking eyewear, protective clothing, and healthy sun habits is important for reducing long-term environmental UV-related damage. There are many complicated implications of climate change, but one consequence that has been indisputably measured is the depletion of the ozone layer: the part of the atmosphere that...

Many common myths about sun exposure can lead to poor sun protection habits and increased risk of skin damage. Misconceptions such as not needing sunscreen on cloudy days, darker skin being immune to UV damage, or tanning being completely safe can contribute to premature aging and other skin concerns. Understanding the facts about ultraviolet (UV) exposure, daily sun protection, and skin health can help individuals make safer choices and better protect their skin over time. The sun emits radiation—in the form of electromagnetic rays—which reaches you here on earth. While the visible part of this spectrum lights up your world,...

It’s summer. It’s sunny outside. People are doing fun things in the sun and you want to too! You can produce Vitamin D in the sun. And yes it feels good to get a little sunlight. Just understand that there are tradeoffs to sun exposure. Every second you’re in the sun damages your skin and leads to wrinkles and a weathered appearance. In fact, nothing ages your skin more than sun exposure. So if you’re going to get out there during the day, be careful and do it as considerately as possible. You’ll thank your younger-looking-self later! Time Of Day...

If you use topical sunscreen lotions, here are some important points to understand this summer (from ABC News): The Truth About Sunscreen: Are Labels Lying? This video and accompanying article explain how much sunscreen is actually necessary to receive the purported benefits of sunscreen lotions, that the benefits of sunscreen lotions may be misleading, that many sunscreen lotions don’t actually protect you very well from UVA rays, and that sunscreen lotions aren’t actually sweatproof or waterproof. The second video (plays automatically after the first) with Diane Sawyer also mentions that the incidence rates of melanoma and nonmelanoma skin cancer are...