Sunny Facts for a Healthy Summer

1. Bring on D sunshine!

Vitamin D is essential for our health and wellbeing. It promotes calcium and phosphate absorption from food, which are crucial ingredients for bones, teeth and immune system. Research has also shown that vitamin D helps with immunity against many cancers and more recently COVID 19.

Important sources of vitamin D include fish, red meats and egg yolks. However, our diet is not normally rich in vitamin D and it is there very important to ensure adequate sun exposure to supplement vitamin D in our body. Daily 10 to 15 minutes of sun will ensure that we are getting a regular vitamin D top up.

2. You are what you wear

Typical summer wear tends to be clothes that are lighter in colour and made of thin breathable fabrics. Clothes do not completely block the UV rays – a white cotton T-shirt will usually let approximately 20% of UV radiation penetrate the skin. The cotton fibres are not woven tightly sufficiently to block all sun light, therefore it is essential to apply sunblock to skin under clothing if exposed to the sun for long periods of time.

Darker colours are better as they absorb more UV light, but they also absorb more heat and tend to be uncomfortable. Linen material is cooler but offers little UV protection; it is important to apply sun cream underneath clothing for additional protection.

3. Feel the splash of summer

Be aware that you get more UV exposure when swimming as the rays are reflected off the water surface. It is therefore important to apply sunscreen at least 15 minutes before heading for the shore. Water-resistant sunscreen is effective but only for 40 to 80 minutes and must be reapplied after swimming or sweating.

4. Sunshine on a Cloudy day

Cloudy days are deceptively cooler; therefore it is easy to forget about sunscreen on such days. However, even on a cloudy day the sun emits significant UV rays that penetrate the skin and cause significant damage. Remember that the sun shines even on a cloudy day, therefore wear sunscreen whenever outdoors.

5. SPF matters

SPF number is an indicator of UV protection – how long the sun’s UV radiation would take to cause skin redness in a sun protected skin versus the amount of time without sun protection. For instance, when an SPF 50 is applied, it would take 50 times longer to burn than without sunscreen. However, even with a high SPF it is important to regularly seek shade, and reapply sunscreen after swimming and sweating.