Whether it’s cold and snowy or sunny and blistering hot, spending time outside is essential for your health. But when it’s hot and the sun’s shining bright, you might be worried about getting burnt, damaging your skin, or even getting cancer.

Spending time in the sun just makes you feel good. A big part of that “feeling good” is a boost of vitamin D. Vitamin D production from the sun is extremely important. While we can get vitamin D from foods or supplements, the best vitamin D you will ever get comes when the sun’s ultraviolet B (UVB) rays hit cholesterol in your skin providing the energy for vitamin D synthesis to take place.

The best sunlight for producing vitamin D comes from the midday sun, when the sun is at its highest point and its UVB rays are most intense. During the middle part of the day, you get more vitamin D production from less time spent in the sun.

A study in the UK found that 13 minutes of midday sun exposure three times a week wearing shorts and a t-shirt is enough to maintain healthy vitamin D levels among Caucasian adults. Midday sun, between 10:00 am and 1:00 pm, may also be safer.

Earlier in the morning and later in the day, ultraviolet A (UVA) rays are more prominent. Those longer wavelengths are more likely to cause skin cancer because they penetrate deeper into your skin, causing the most amount of damage.

The common recommendation to avoid sun exposure between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm is wrong based on what we now understand about UVA and UVB rays.

So, we know we need sun exposure for vitamin D production, but we also know too much sun can cause problems like sunburns, wrinkles, age spots, and even cancer. Like a little bit of wine is good, but a lot of wine can be bad.

So, let’s look at a few tips to help you get adequate sun exposure for vitamin D production while avoiding the damage you can get from too much sun.

Try to get 30 minutes of sun exposure between 10:00 am and 1:00 pm at least 3 times a week.

We’ve pretty much covered this topic already, but there are a few more things you need to know.

People with darker skin need more sun exposure, because the color of your skin is determined by a pigment called melanin. Melanin helps protect skin against damage from excess sunlight by absorbing the sun’s UV rays. Studies estimate that darker skinned people need 30 minutes to three hours longer to produce sufficient vitamin D. So, if you have dark skin, go for a little more time in the sun. 

If you want more sun than 30 minutes, use a mineral-based sunscreen.

We could spend a lot of time talking about good and bad sunscreens. I’ll try to make this as simple as possible.

First, don’t use sunscreen if you’re trying to get more sun for vitamin D production. Some studies estimate that SPF 30 or more reduces vitamin D production by about 95%. But once you’ve gotten your vitamin D time in, use sunscreen if you want to continue exposure to the sun.

In 2021, the Food and Drug Administration reviewed a long list of sunscreen ingredients and published the following conclusions:

• Zinc oxide and titanium oxide are the only two commonly used sunscreen ingredients generally recognized as safe and effective.
• Aminobenzoic acid and trolamine salicylate are the only rarely used sunscreen ingredients generally recognized as safe.
• Avobenzone, cinoxate, dioxybenzone, ensulizole, homosalate, meradimate, octinoxate, octisalate, octocrylene, oxybenzone, padimate O, and sulisobenzone are the 12 commonly used sunscreen ingredients that are not recognized as safe.

While the FDA found that 12 commonly used sunscreen ingredients are not safe, those ingredients are still allowed to be used in products on the U.S. market until the FDA finalizes its 2021 proposal. The problem with these unsafe ingredients is they can be absorbed through the skin and into the blood. They have even been detected in breast milk. And even more concerning, research has shown three of these ingredients (homosalate, avobenzone, and oxybenzone) have hormone-disrupting effects. They’ve been shown to interact with estrogen and progesterone. They can interact with thyroid function, and they can also have an effect on reproductive organ development.

In 2021 the European Commission published a statement which concluded that homosalate and octocrylene are not safe in the amounts at which they’re currently used. As a result, the commission proposed limiting the allowed concentrations of these filters in sunscreens. But the U.S. has different standards, as sunscreen manufacturers are legally allowed to use these two chemicals at concentrations higher than the European limits.

There’s more we could talk about, but let’s make this simple. Only use mineral-based sunscreens that contain zinc oxide or titanium oxide as their main ingredients. If you want to learn more about sunscreen safety, check out the verified sunscreens listed at EWG.org. If you just want to buy safe sunscreens on Amazon, go here.

If you want protection from the sun after 30 minutes, cover up.

Clothing is simply the best sun protection you can get. If you want to stay outside after your 30 minutes of vitamin D time, put on a big hat and a sun protection shirt. These are my go-tos when I need to do a lot of yard work.

Remember, if you spend a lot of time in the sun, drink at least one cup of ice water every 30 minutes. Make sure you take collagen every day to keep your skin looking good. And don’t forget about olive oil—drink or moisturize with it.

Stay Strong,

Bo Railey