Experts agree that a little sun can go a long way. A typical recommendation is to get between 5-20 minutes of midday sun depending on skin type, season, and other variables as no one prescription fit all.
Tips to Healthy Sun exposure:
- Know Your Skin Type
Darker skin types require more sun exposure for adequate Vitamin D production while fairer skin types require less unprotected sun exposure because of its rapid ability to synthesize Vitamin D. On this basis, experts’ advice a range of about 5 minutes for those with very fair skin types and about 20 minutes of exposure for those with darker skin types. However, clients with a history of skin cancer or malignant melanoma should steer clear of the sun and will rather benefit from Vitamin D supplements.
- Expose Strategically
Expose the part of the skin that is less likely to have dark spots or wrinkles. Usually, parts of the skin being exposed are the face, chest and arms. However, when these parts show signs of sun damage, they should always be kept protected.
- Aim for Midday Sun
Contrary to the belief to avoid the midday sun, this is when the Ultra-violet B (UVB) rays needed to synthesize Vitamin D are at their strongest with minimum sun exposure. Therefore, we should always aim for midday sun exposure.
- Check the UV Index
It is important to know the Ultraviolet index in your area to know if the UVB rays you are getting are effective enough to promote the synthesis of Vitamin D. Experts say the rule of thumb is if you are outside and your shadow is shorter than you are, you can make vitamin D.
- Fill Your Vitamin D Gaps
Getting optimal levels of vitamin D is dependent on several factors such as geographical location, lifestyle and individual genetic makeup, and as such exclusive sun exposure may not meet up with your individual vitamin D requirement. For optimal levels of Vitamin D, you will need to supplement for it if you are not getting enough from the sun.
The most important factor is to be cautious and avoid sun burning no matter how little and irrespective of skin color.