South Africa has one of the highest incidences of skin cancer in the world, which is not surprising given how much sunshine we receive. So the health conscious dutifully apply strong sunblock, wear sleeves and hats outdoors and avoid being outside during peak sun periods.
However, controlled sun exposure can be beneficial for both physical and psychological health. The trick is in finding the balance.
How your body benefits
Dr Dagmar Whitaker, dermatologist and president of the South African Melanoma Advisory Board, says that in addition to releasing endorphins (feel-good chemicals in the brain), sunshine changes pro-vitamin D into vitamin D, which is important for skin, nails and bones. Though with the UV concentration South Africa enjoys, all we need is to expose an area the size of our hands for 10 minutes and we have enough vitamin D for the day.
Sun exposure, says Dr Whitaker, also improves a number of inflammatory skin conditions like psoriasis and certain forms of eczema and acne.
“The major biological function of vitamin D is to maintain normal blood levels of calcium and phosphorous,” says Mary-Ann Shearer, nutritional counsellor and author of Take Control the Natural Way (Ibis). “It aids in the absorption of calcium, together with a number of other vitamins, minerals and hormones, and it promotes bone materialisation.” This helps to prevent diseases like osteoporosis and dental decay.
“Vitamin D also increases the output of the heart, which means more blood, more oxygen and more energy. It lowers the resting heart rate, lowers blood pressure and reduces lactic acid formation after exercise, so you are less likely to feel sore if you exercise outdoors,” says Shearer.
In his book, 50 Ways to a Healthier Heart (Jonathan Ball), Professor Christiaan Barnard refers to studies which showed that when outside temperatures dropped by 10 degrees or more, heart attack rates rose by about 13 percent — another great advantage of having so many sunshine months.
Dr Des Fernandes of the Renaissance Body Science Institute and founder of the Environ range of skin products warns against sunscreens that are too effective at blocking out the sun’s rays. What this does is prevent the skin from using the UVB rays to convert pro-vitamin D into active vitamin D.
We can only make vitamin D from UVB rays, but the paradox is that vitamin D is destroyed by UVA rays. What one needs, says Dr Fernandes, is a sunscreen that allows the body to manufacture vitamin D without allowing in too much UVB (generally those with an SPF of 15–20 are adequate), and also protects us more from the more dangerous UVA.
How your brain gains
Clinical psychologist Cari Corbet-Owen says scientific evidence shows that exposure to full-spectrum light – light that contains all the wavelengths of sunlight – has profound effects on our mood and health in general.
Countries in the far North, where people are deprived of sunlight for months at a time, have higher alcohol abuse and suicide rates.
Light deprivation can result in Seasonal Affective Disorder, where patients suffer winter blues. We need to spend at least half an hour per day outside, even on cloudy days. Light is a natural mood elevator; so migrate to the sun, worship it in small, sensible doses and absorb its powerful, healing energy with a smile.
It is true UVB rays produce Vitamin D, and sunscreens typically block out more UVB rays with high SPF factors inhibiting the production of Vitamin D while allowing more UVA rays through. UVA rays have been associated with premature wrinkling and dangerous forms of skin cancer. The best type of sunscreen is one that is “full spectrum” or blocks equal amounts of UVB and UVA rays so you get a balanced exposure to the sun the way nature intended. iTanSmart is a new App. that in addition to telling you when to seek shade before you get burned also tells you how much Vitamin D you have produced for the day.