It is important to manage your sun exposure with an understanding of

 

#nationalsunshinemonth

An "erythema dose" is used by doctors to define the amount of ultraviolet radiation, from the sun or ultraviolet lamp, which results in a reddening of the skin. A minimal erythema dose is defined by a pinkness of the skin about 1-6 hours after sun exposure, going away within 24 hours. Sunny Hippocrates, our cartoon mascot this month, has been telling you to get a *smidge* pink. There is no single number, due in part to differences in skin type and other individual differences in vitamin D production, but one minimal erythema dose is equivalent to roughly 10,000 - 25,000 IU of supplemental vitamin D. 

 

How long does that take? 

 

The time to reach a minimal erythema dose depends on  

 

1) Skin type 

2) UV strength 

 

It could be as short as 5 minutes (very fair skin with high UV strength) and as long as hours/never (very dark skin with very low UV strength).  

 

What are the risks of skin cancer? 

 

The American Cancer Society (ACS) has very good information on skin cancers and melanoma. ACS reports about 3.3 million Americans are diagnosed with basal or squamous cell skin cancer each year, with approximately 80% of diagnoses being for basal cell cancer. Only about 1% of all skin cancers are melanoma.  

 

"Basal cell and squamous cell skin cancer: These cancers are most often found in areas exposed to the sun, such as the head, neck, and arms, but they also can occur elsewhere. They are very common but are also usually very treatable." - ACS web site  

 

Basal and squamous cell skin cancers are not usually deadly, whereas over 10,000 Americans are expected to die of melanoma in 2016 (ACS).  

 

"Death from these [basal and squamous cell] cancers is uncommon. It's thought that about 2,000 people in the US die each year from these cancers, and that this rate has been dropping in recent years. Most people who die from these cancers are elderly and may not have seen a doctor until the cancer had already grown quite large. Other people more likely to die of these cancers are those whose immune system is suppressed, such as those who have had organ transplants." - ACS web site 

 

No cancer! 

 

We do not advocate sun exposure that leads to burning and increased risk of skin cancer. What we do want is to help you understand the causes and risk factors for skin cancers, the different types of skin cancers, and their associated treatments and seriousness. We encourage you to consider the benefits of sun exposure and weigh that against the risks to help you make your decision about how to use the sun - what makes sense for you. Should you go out and get a minimal erythema dose daily in order to raise your natural vitamin D level, produce nitric oxide and prevent disease? Is a suberythemal dose (no reddening of the skin), combined with some supplements more comfortable for you? Or would you rather avoid the sun and get all of your vitamin D through supplementation?  

 

How long? 

Back to the question of how long.... We recommend you download the app dminder - on your phone. Study and input your Fitzpatrick skin type, and use it to gauge your minimal erythema dose. dminder is very conservative because it uses estimates from the environmental protection agency (EPA). So, if after a week of using dminder you notice you have never gotten pink then increase the time little by little.  

 

The lighter your skin and the more you have stayed indoors- the more important it is to be cautious and slow, allowing your skin to adjust to sun exposure gradually.  

Sun4Health*action is a new feature that integrates dminder with D*action. Here are some of the benefits of Sun4Health*action:

Accurate data reporting - By using your smart phone daily to record your sun exposure and supplement intake, GrassrootsHealth will have the most accurate account of your vitamin D intake. In turn, this allows GrassrootsHealth to link daily vitamin D inputs with serum levels and be better able to investigate vitamin D production at a population level.

Largest international cohort of vitamin D aware individuals with data on sun exposure - The GrassrootsHealth cohort of over 10,000 participants is continually growing. With data on daily sun exposure and/or approved sun lamps, we can research and report on the health benefits of sun, the safety of sun, and how much sun is necessary for optimal health.