Controlling cell division

Vitamin D controls how cells divide in the layers of our epidermis, so it’s very important for maintaining the thickness of our skin. Healthy Vitamin D levels means a plumper epidermis with a lower risk of hyperkeratinisation (which would lead to rough skin and congestion).

Maintaining barrier function

Vitamin D works to maintain multiple elements of skin’s barrier. With healthy Vitamin D levels and the good barrier function that follows, skin loses less water (leading to more hydrated skin) and protects us better from external stressors (which reduces sensitivity and inflammation).

Supporting a healthy microbiome

Vitamin D allows our skin to produce more antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), which are important substances that keep harmful microbes at bay while respecting our beneficial skin microbes. This allows skin to cultivate a healthier microbiome, which is a foundation of our overall skin health.

Reducing inflammation

Chronic inflammation in skin is a major driver of premature ageing. Vitamin D plays a very important role in regulating our skins’ immune systems. With healthy levels, our immune responses can be controlled and inflammation can be resolved, which slows ageing rates and improves underlying skin health.

Vitamin D has some other key benefits, including anti-cancer activity – our chances of skin cancer increase when our skin doesn’t have enough.

Your skin will be healthiest if you give it the chance to make the Vitamin D it needs with short, safe sessions in the sun. And always remember – don’t burn.

But an often-overlooked question is: “Too much sun is bad, but is zero sun the answer?”

From your skin’s point of view, sunshine is nothing new – humans have spent time in the sun since the dawn of our species. On average, we now spend around 90% of our time indoors – a very strange and unexpected situation for our biology.

Research is showing clearly that sun avoidance is a major health concern for the public, too.

With a lack of sun exposure, our skin can’t make the Vitamin D it needs to be healthy. This leads to increased inflammation, broken skin barriers, and the premature ageing that follows. A lack of Vitamin D in skin is part of the reason we suffer from the inflammatory skin concerns that plague the developed world. It’s also a major risk factor for skin cancer.

Many studies also highlight that safe sun exposure has health benefits that extend deeper than just our skin.

For healthy skin, free from inflammatory concerns like acne, eczema, psoriasis, and rosacea, spend a safe amount of time in the sun as often as you can. And always remember – don’t burn.

Through the course of human history, our bodies have acquired Vitamin D from one major source – our skin. Foods that naturally contain this essential vitamin are rare and don’t provide enough. Our skin uses sunlight to produce much higher levels than we can get from our diets. Because our bodies aren’t geared towards high amounts of Vitamin D in our diets, taking an oral supplement has some drawbacks. For one, a high oral dose of Vitamin D can spike blood calcium levels, which can increase the chances of cholesterol deposits and the risk of stroke or heart attack that follow. This doesn’t mean that oral supplements aren’t helpful or that they’re always dangerous, it just means we shouldn’t take very high oral doses (1000 I.U. and below daily is safe).

Skin, as the natural factory for Vitamin D in our bodies, delivers Vitamin D in a controlled and safe way into our bloodstreams. Skin also doesn’t get the Vitamin D it needs from the bloodstream – it relies on the Vitamin D it makes itself. So, oral supplements can’t give our skin healthy levels of Vitamin D.

Sunlight also has benefits that extend beyond just Vitamin D. Studies show clearly that safe sun exposure has many benefits for our health and happiness. For healthy levels of Vitamin D in your skin and the rest of your body, get safe and frequent sessions in the sun. And always remember – don’t burn.