Vitamin D is important for your bones, but it’s a difficult vitamin to attain through food. Hence, wellness experts tell you to go out and get some sunshine on your skin – as this is how your body produces vitamin D – but warn against using sun cream (at least, for the first 10 minutes or so) as you don’t want a barrier between your skin and all that vitamin D-boosting sunshine. However, according to new research from Boots UK, which was recently presented at the prestigious International Investigative Dermatology conference in Edinburgh, sun cream does not compromise your healthy vitamin D production.
The new study, “Sun, Sunscreens and Vitamin D”, was partly funded by Boots UK and is due to be published later in the year. Led by Antony Young, Professor of Experimental Photobiology at St John’s institute of dermatology, King’s College London, the researchers found that participants were able to produce adequate levels of Vitamin D, without experiencing burning, when SPF 15 sunscreen was applied appropriately and correctly.
According to Clare O’Connor, Boots Suncare expert, ‘At Boots UK we know that getting out there is good for us, however vitamin D deficiency is currently a health concern within the UK and there is much debate on the impact sunscreen has on vitamin D production. The findings of our study highlight that the use of sunscreen at the recommended usage level and frequency still allows for the production of significant levels of vitamin D, while ensuring adequate protection from sun burn and the associated visible skin damage. The study provides reassurance to people who want to make the most of the great outdoors this summer that their sunscreen is helping to protect their skin without compromising healthy vitamin D production.’
Professor Antony Young commented, ‘This study shows that using sunscreens in an intense UV environment still allows for significant vitamin D production without any burning of the skin. It is the first time that such a comprehensive study has been undertaken and it provides new clinical evidence on the impact sunscreen has on vitamin D synthesis.’ This is important for your anti-ageing wellness, as sun cream can reduce the toll that sun damage takes on your skin.