Spring is in full bloom here in the PNW and summer is just around the corner. 

Let's talk for a second about safe sun exposure since I know you’re likely as excited as I am to go out and PLAY!

Before you slather yourself with sunscreen, let's bust a few myths about sun exposure. 

I know the sun has been villainized and blamed for cancer and some of you are terrified to go out without protection, but the truth is your body needs direct sunlight exposure on the skin in order to synthesize vitamin D. 

Since we are all coming off a long winter, we probably all need a good vitamin D boost, especially those of us in the northern hemispheres!

But how much is too much sun? That is an excellent question and it really depends on a few things: 

1. Where in the world are you located?
2. What time of day is it? 
3. How much skin is exposed?
4. How much melanin (pigment) do you have?
5. How stressed is your body right now? 

Just reading those questions is more effort than I want to put in when planning a day outside, so I simply use the D-minder app to help me decide how much exposure will max out my vitamin D on any given day in any location. You can get it here: https://dminder.ontometrics.com/

A few thing to note: 

1. If you are taking any medications or supplements that sensitize you to the sun, please take precautions and note this app probably will not work for you. You’ll need to talk to your provider about when and how to use products safely while enjoying the sun.
2. Trust your body. If it feels like too much, it's probably too much. There are many other factors that can sensitize your body to the sun, like a poor diet. 

When you’ve had your fill of sun move to the shade, add a layer of light-weight clothing, or apply a mineral-based sunscreen. 

Chemical sunscreens are highly toxic to you and the environment. Read the ingredients on your sunscreen; if it sounds like a chemical, it is. Don't fall for the green labeling!

Based on the research I've seen, it's the toxic sunscreen that's causing skin cancer, NOT the sun. This is why most skin cancer actually occurs in places that rarely see the sun. Plus, if you have low vitamin D from never getting sun exposure, you're immune system is less able to fight cancer should it arise. 

Safe mineral sunscreens will contain titanium dioxide or zinc oxide as the ONLY active ingredients. You’ll want to find something with non-nano zinc or titanium as the nano versions can be easily absorbed by the skin and lead to toxicity of the mineral over time. Some of my favorite brands are F.A.E which has a really convenient zinc-based spray, SPORT and Beauty Counter. I love EWG.org as a resource for all things safe skincare so check them out if you need brand names or want to dig into this topic further. 

If you find yourself burning easily and you’re not using any products that sensitize you to the sun, you may want to consider supplementing astaxanthin, an antioxidant that helps protect the skin from sun damage. This antioxidant is wonderful at reducing stress on the skin and making us more resilient to sun exposure. Click here to see the one I use in my virtual dispensary. 

A diet rich in seed oils will also set you up for sunburn. Ditch the canola, safflower, corn, grapeseed and other seed oils and instead switch to antioxidant rich fats that protect the skin. Depending on your Carroll Food Intolerance, choose healthy fats like grass fed butter and tallow, coconut oil, and avocado oil. Olive oil should only be used cold as it oxidizes when heated. 

Finally, you may want to experiment with ditching the sunglasses.

Getting light exposure on our eyes (not direct, please don't go looking at the sun!), signals our body that it's time to make melanin, the pigment that makes us tan. As a blue eyed girl I know how hard this can be, but since switching to big hats and training my eyes to go without sunglasses more often, I definitely notice that my skin sensitivity has improved along with my tan! 

Using all the tricks in this email, I now tan much easier and rarely burn!

Now, go outside and enjoy that sunshine!