blood pressure at the University of
Edinburgh, said of his research in
2013: “We suspect that the benefits
to heart health of sunlight will
outweigh the risk of skin cancer.”
Weller also appeared on the BBC’s
Tr ust Me, I’m A Doc torin 2016,
suggesting that there’s no reason to
avoid sunlight, just don’t get burnt.
Further doubt over sun cream arose
with a study published in theJournalOf The American Medical Association
in May. The Maryland-based team
found that active ingredients in four
types of sun cream found their way
into the bloodstream after one day
of use. While this sounds scary,
it’s not known whether sunscreen
ingredients such as oxybenzone
and octocryolene have any effect
in the body. Even if they do, that
doesn’t necessarily mean that the
average person would be affected:
the participants in the experiments
followed the maximum guidelines
of their sun creams for four days,
applying four times a day. On the
ot her hand, a study f rom King’s
College London in 2018 found that,
in everyday use, people usually apply
less than half the recommended
amount of sun cream. The Maryland
researchers suggest that you don’t
throw out your sun cream until we
have a better idea about its effects.
Whether or not sun cream comes
with risks, the danger of sunlight is
well proven. “There is overwhelming
evidence that skin damage, even
from mild tans, accumulates over
the years,” writes Dr Monty Lyman
in his bookThe Remarkable Life Of
The Skin. “Even though melanin is
the original sunscreen, a suntan is“A suntan is not a sensible form of sun
protection: it provides a sun protection
factor [SPF] of around only 3 and leaves a
trail of DNA destruction in its wake”
not a sensible form of sun protection:
it provides a sun protection factor
[SPF] of around only 3 and leaves a
trail of DNA destruction in its wake.”
Does this mean we should avoid
the sunshine entirely? “The fact that
humans have evolved melanin shows
that sunlight isn’t wholly good,”
explains Lyman in an email. “But also
the fact that humans have evolved
to have less melanin the furthert hey have moved away f rom t he
equator shows it has some benefits!
Essentially, there are benefits and
risks with sunlight, and a balance
needs to be struck.”
The optimal amount of time spent
in the sunshine to get enough vitamin
D depends on your skin tone, says
Lyman. As a rule of thumb, between
March and September, half the time
it takes for your skin to burn, two
or three times a week, is enough
u nprotected t ime to get a ll t he
vitamin D you need. He adds that
we should spend time outside every
day for personal wellbeing, a nd
there is no need to actively seek
the sunshine to ‘top up’ vitamin D.
This is especia lly t r ue when
holidaying somewhere hot: a recent
study published in theBritish Journal
Of Dermatologyshowed that using
high-SPF sun creams doesn’t prevent
vitamin D production when sunlight
is strong. While there might be much
more to learn about the risks of sun
cream, there isn’t the evidence to
suggest we should ditch it yet.NEED TO KNOW
Sun worshippers and
avoiders take notebyS A R A R I G B Y
Sara is the online assistant forBBC Science Focus.
GET T Y IMAGES She has an MPhys in mathematical physics.
At the end of the summer, 8 per cent of UK adults are
vitamin D deficient, compared with 30 to 40 per cent
during the winter.8% 30-40%
In the summer,
people in the UK
spend an average
of 1-2 hours per
day outside. On
holiday, this
swells to 5-6
hours.S U M M E R
HOLIDAYS
12345678910Hours per weekHome HolidayUsing sunbeds can increase your risk of
melanoma skin cancer by 16-20 per centBURNING ISSUE
D DEFICIENCY