By Carole Baggerly, GrassrootsHealth

Neither too much or too little sunlight is good for your health. It is important to manage your sunlight exposure with an understanding of:

• Your skin type
• The strength of the UV lamp (or UV index outdoors)
• Duration to receive an erythemal dose without burning

An “erythema dose” is used by doctors to define the amount of ultraviolet radiation, from the sun or an ultraviolet lamp, which results in a reddening of the skin. A minimal erythema dose is defined by a pinkness of the skin, about one to six hours after sun exposure, going away within 24 hours. Sunny Hippocrates, GrassrootsHealth’s cartoon mascot, tells 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 to 25,000 IU of supplemental vitamin D.

In a Smart Tan certified salon, professionals work with you to determine the right lamp strength and duration for this minimal erythema dose. It is important to reap the benefits of sunlight, but not burn. Serious burns, particularly before the age of 20, increase the risk of all types of skin cancer.

Overall, the benefits from sunlight far outweigh the risks. Benefits include:

• Photoadaptation
• Epidermal thickening
• Immunomodulation
• Vitamin D
• Nitric oxide
• Serotonin and endorphins
• Circadian clocks
• Melatonin
• Folic acid

Vitamin D levels of 40 to 60 ng/ml have been shown to reduce the risk of all non-skin cancers by 57 percent. Dr. Cedric Garland, epidemiologist and leading vitamin D researcher from the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, advocates regular sunlight.

“In the United States, we have 113 times the number of deaths from cardiovascular disease and non-skin cancer compared to deaths from skin cancer. As a nation, we really do have to quit being so preoccupied with trying to prevent skin cancer. It’s costing us thousands of lives each year,” says Garland.

Follow recommended tanning procedures regularly for a nourishing life.

Check out: www.grassrootshealth.net/harnessthesun for more information on sunlight and vitamin D.

SmartTan.com news articles regularly report medical and scientific information to keep you abreast of current events related to UV light. This information is not intended to be used by any party to make unwarranted health claims to promote sunbed usage. Indoor tanning businesses are obligated to communicate a fair and balanced message to all clients about your products and services including the potential risks associated with indoor tanning. Contact your Smart Tan representative to find out more about what you can and can’t say in your tanning salon business.

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