But don’t we need sun for vitamin D?

Yes, sunlight stimulates the body to produce vitamin D, which we need to use the calcium in our diet and keep our bones strong. But, we only need a small amount of sunlight.

A sunburn can ruin your vacation. It can hurt for days. You may blister and peel. But the damage is more than superficial. When you are sunburned, UV radiation has killed the cells in your skin. The damage can extend past the surface outer layer of skin and damage deeper layers. Any sun exposure that tans you, is also damaging your skin.

Skin Damage and Aging

UV radiation from the sun irreversibly damages the skin and cause premature aging, sagging and wrinkling. It also makes you bruise more easily.

Ultraviolet light damages the genetic material that controls accurate cell division and other cell activities. UV suppresses the immune system.

Studies show UV activates chemicals in the body that stimulate a chain of events leading to cancer.

 “UV kills cells because of the accumulation of DNA damage. A gene product, called p53, is one of the responsible parties for slowing the cell cycle and checking for damage. If the damage is fixable, p53 sends in the repair machinery. If the damage is too extensive, it directs the cell to apoptosis, or programmed cell death.” www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-does-ultraviolet-ligh

Skin Cancer is the most common type of cancer in the world.

“One in five Americans will develop skin cancer in the course of a lifetime. Between 40 and 50 percent of Americans who live to age 65 will have either basal cell carcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma at least once. Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common form of skin cancer.”
www.skincancer.org/skin-cancer-information/skin-cancer-facts

Immune-System Damage

Some people notice that being in the sun gives them cold sores.

Too much UV, especially UVB,  adversely affects your immune system. Even moderate sun exposure can increase your susceptibility to bacterial, fungal, parasitic, or viral infections.

So UV radiation provokes DNA damage, then reduces your immune system’s ability to repair the damage.

Take Precautions

Wear protective clothing such as long pants, a long-sleeved shirt or cover up and a broad-brimmed hat.

Be especially careful between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., the peak hours for harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation.

Wear Sunglasses

Cataracts are the world’s leading cause of blindness. A significant portion of these are caused or aggravated by sun. Wear UV-protective sunglasses.