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With soaring summer temperatures, people are either hiding in air conditioning or outside all day, living their best life. For those outdoors, it can be very easy to get too much sun. Overexposure leads to skin burns, premature aging, and even cancer. Yet, this doesn’t mean you should avoid going out! Read on to learn why the sun is both good and bad for you. Getting sun is important, but whenever you go outside for a long time, you should protect your skin.

Too Much Sun

Sometimes, putting on sunscreen or managing sun exposure isn’t enough. Sunburn is the most common side effect of too much sun. Symptoms of red, tender, and swollen skin can start about 4 hours after sun exposure. These symptoms can worsen over the next day or so, then generally heal in 3-5 days. Additional symptoms can include skin blistering, headache, fever, nausea, and fatigue. Eyes can also become sunburned, making them red, dry, and painful. They may also feel gritty. Eyes can be permanently damaged or blinded by sun exposure.

The long-term effects of overexposure to the sun include premature aging. Some sun rays damage the skin’s connective tissue, leading to premature thinning and wrinkling. Freckles, age spots, uneven skin tone, spider veins in the face, and actinic keratosis (red rough scaly spots) can develop. People at higher risk include those with lighter skin color, certain diseases like lupus or HIV, who’ve had an organ transplant, or who take medication that weakens the immune system. Medications, including corticosteroids, biologics, or antibody therapy, are included in this category. Some drugs also make your skin more sensitive to sunlight, such as cholesterol-lowering drugs and oral contraceptives. Finally, sun exposure increases the risk of developing precancerous lesions and skin cancer.

Why is Sunshine So Important?

Sunshine is important to health, but do you know why? 90% of the body’s vitamin D is produced by ultraviolet (UV) radiation interacting with cholesterol in the skin. Lab testing suggests the average vitamin D recommendation is around 50 nmol/L. Sadly, many people worldwide are deficient in this critical vitamin. This matters for many reasons.

Vitamin D maintains healthy bones and supports the immune system. It’s also anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and helps protect the nervous system. Vitamin D can also be obtained through diet, though most foods contain a smidgen or less. Without adequate amounts, there’s an increased risk of developing autoimmune diseases, some cancers, heart disease, infections, schizophrenia, and type 2 diabetes.

Additionally, research is ongoing on the link between sun exposure and mood. The skin can produce serotonin, seemingly when exposed to the sun. This idea is being evaluated in connection with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). SAD is when people feel more anxious or depressed in the colder months with less sun exposure. Serotonin is critical for optimal health; it helps regulate many body functions, including mood.

How Much Sun Do You Need?

Sunlight is made up of visible light, ultraviolet (UV) light, and infrared radiation. For vitamin D production, UV light is key. The main types of UV radiation are UVA, UVB, and UVC. UVC comes from the sun and is completely absorbed by Earth’s protective ozone layer. UVA has the longest wavelengths and can penetrate the middle layer of the skin (dermis). Most UVB rays make it through the ozone layer and reach the skin’s surface (epidermis). This type of UV exposure has the most health benefits for humans.

Getting adequate amounts of sunlight can be tricky. Latitude, time of year, and weather are major environmental factors that change the amount of UVB radiation available. If you live in a northern latitude with hazy or cloudy weather, you may be getting little to no UVB exposure that day. The clothing you wear also has an effect. Wearing long sleeves and pants prevents sunshine from reaching your skin. Skin pigmentation also plays a role—lighter skin color absorbs UVB faster than skin with a darker pigmentation. This means lighter-skinned folks need less sun exposure to make the same amount of vitamin D.

Generally, the sun is well-tolerated without sunscreen for short periods. One study determined that getting sun exposure on bare skin for 5-15 minutes a day in most areas of the world is adequate. This is under clear weather conditions. The darker your skin color, the closer to 15 minutes you should be. The study evaluated people wearing modest clothing (t-shirt and shorts/skirt), exposing about 35% of their skin. They also account for standing during sun exposure, not just lying down. Notably, those wearing sunscreen still get a bit of UVB exposure over time, supporting healthy vitamin D levels. If you live in a northern or southern climate, supplementing vitamin D may be a good idea during winter months.

How to Prevent Sun Damage

If you are looking for other ways to prevent UV damage, adding certain foods to your diet may help. Foods containing anthocyanins, like blueberries, blackberries, dark cherries, and pomegranate, can prevent connective tissue damage. Natural foods rich in vitamin C include oranges, yellow sweet peppers, strawberries, currants, guava, papaya, kale, brussel sprouts, and broccoli. Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna), rose hips (Rosa canina), and hibiscus (Hibiscus sabdariffa) are herbal options rich in vitamin C, which can be consumed as teas or popsicles during the hot summer months. Additionally, quercetin-rich foods like onions and garlic can also help. Finally, topically applied vitamin E with mixed tocopherols also reduces acute and chronic UV damage.

Realistically, reducing sun exposure is the best way to prevent unwanted damage to your body from overexposure. Here is a list of things you can do:

• Keep time in the sun short when possible.
• Wear sunscreen with a minimum of SPF 15. Apply 20 minutes before exposure and reapply every 2 hours. Mineral-based sunscreens that contain zinc oxide generally have fewer chemical ingredients. Zinc oxide protects against UVA. Dr. Blandford recommends sunscreens that uses minerals like zinc oxide rather than chemicals to block the sun. She recommends Badger's Mineral Sunscreen as the best option. Babo Botanicals Sensitive Baby Mineral Sunscreen Lotion is another more natural option.
• Wear high-SPF clothing or light, tight-woven clothing to prevent sun exposure.
• Wear wide-brimmed hats and UVA/UVB sunglasses.
• Be sure to take frequent breaks in shaded areas and drink plenty of water.

What to Do When You Get Too Much Sun?

If you were exposed to a lot of sun as a child, you should talk to your doctor and let them know. In addition, new or changing moles, or a spot on your skin that spontaneously bleeds, require medical support. To create healthy skin as you age, consider scheduling your 15 minute Discovery Visit to find out if naturopathic health support is right for your skin.

Resources:

1. Cleveland Clinic. (2022). "Sun-damaged Skin (Photoaging)." https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/5240-sun-damage-protecting-yourself.
2. Kift, R. C., & Webb, A. R. 2024. "Globally Estimated UVB Exposure Times Required to Maintain Sufficiency in Vitamin D Levels." Nutrients; 16(10): 1489. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16101489
3. Korać RR, Khambholja KM. 2011. "Potential of Herbs in Skin Protection from Ultraviolet Radiation." Pharmacogn Rev.; 5(10): 164-73. doi: 10.4103/0973-7847.91114. PMID: 22279374; PMCID: PMC3263051.
4. Mead MN. 2008. "Benefits of Sunlight: A Bright Spot for Human Health. Environ Health Perspect." 2008 Apr; 116(4): A160-7. doi: 10.1289/ehp.116-a160. Erratum in: Environ Health Perspect. 2008 May;116(5):A197. PMID: 18414615; PMCID: PMC2290997.
5. Passeron T, et al. 2019. "Sunscreen Photoprotection and Vitamin D Status." Br J Dermatol; 181(5): 916-931. doi: 10.1111/bjd.17992. Epub 2019 Jul 15. PMID: 31069788; PMCID: PMC6899926.
6. Sansone RA, Sansone LA. 2013. "Sunshine, Serotonin, and Skin: A Partial Explanation for Seasonal Patterns in Psychopathology?" Innov Clin Neurosci.; 10(7-8): 20-4. PMID: 24062970; PMCID: PMC3779905.
7. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). 2010. "NIOSH Fast Facts: Protecting Yourself from Sun Exposure." 2010. 116. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2010-116/default.html.
8. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 2020. "Ultraviolet (UV) Radiation." https://www.fda.gov/radiation-emitting-products/tanning/ultraviolet-uv-radiation.
9. Wacker M, Holick MF. 2013. "Sunlight and Vitamin D: A Global Perspective for Health." Dermatoendocrinol.; 5(1): 51-108. doi: 10.4161/derm.24494. PMID: 24494042; PMCID: PMC3897598.