One of the top tips for maintaining healthy skin is to avoid sun exposure, right? Indeed, solar radiation is one of the main factors responsible for aging and the development of skin cancer.
When we sunbathe at peak light times without using the sunscreen, our skin is more prone to radiation damage. This speeds up the appearance of blemishes, frown lines and even melanomas.
This is all true, but the sun should not be viewed as an unrecoverable villain. Despite the harms of overexposure, moderate doses of sunlight can have some health benefits.
Of course we don't want you to throw yourself in the midday sun without using sunscreen? And worse yet: using a? home tanner? that can cause terrible burns! Our goal with this list is to show that taking a walk in the park in the morning or late afternoon can be very good for body and mind.
Attention: If you have a skin lesion or have had surgery recently, always consult your doctor before sun exposure. Sunlight can cause irreversible staining in such cases.
Also read: 9 foods that protect the skin from sunburn
1. Improvement of mood and relief of depression
Sunlight increases our brain levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter responsible for regulating mood. So sunning helps people feel happier, more relaxed and focused.
In periods of prolonged sunlessness, as happens in some regions in the winter months, people may suffer from disorders such as seasonal depression, a variation of depression that happens with the change of season.
2. Strengthening bone health
Vitamin D is essential for the health of our bones. As it is difficult to obtain the optimal amount of this micronutrient only by food, it is necessary to sunbathe so that the skin can produce it.
The good news is that you do not have to be exposed to the sun for long periods, which could make you risk burns. To make vitamin D, just sunbathe for half the time it takes for your skin to turn red.
It is difficult to pinpoint the right time, as it varies with skin color, age, person's location, and time of day. On average, you need to sunbathe for about 15 minutes a day to ensure vitamin D production.
Read also: How to protect hair from the effects of the sun
3. Lowering blood pressure
This is a very interesting benefit for hypertension sufferers. According to a study in England, sun exposure promotes vasodilation that contributes to lowering blood pressure and the risk of cardiovascular disease.
This is because, by focusing on our skin, UVA radiation increases the activity of nitric acid molecules that are stored in our epithelial tissue. This substance then passes into the bloodstream, promoting vessel dilation.
The consequence of this is a lower pressure exerted by the blood in the vessels and also a reduction in clot formation that could cause a heart attack or stroke.
4. Relief of skin problems
Sunlight is an important ally in treating skin conditions such as psoriasis and other problems such as acne, eczema, fungal infections and jaundice (including in newborns, according to this study).
Of course, depending on the skin problem and the presence of lesions, sun exposure may not be indicated as it may result in permanent blemishes. Therefore, always ask the doctor what is the best procedure.
Also read: The 10 Most Serious Mistakes in Using Sunscreen
5. Prevention of some cancers
The sun is known to be a risk factor for the onset of skin cancer, so we should avoid unprotected exposure using sunscreen. However, when exposure time is kept within a healthy range, sunlight is able to prevent some cancers.
In some regions of the planet where sunlight is greatly reduced at certain times of the year, there is an increased risk of death from diseases such as Hodgkin's lymphoma and breast, ovarian, colon, pancreatic and prostate cancer. Some studies suggest that these diseases may be related to vitamin D deficiency in some way.
This, however, obviously does not mean that we should abandon sunscreen and sunbathe indiscriminately.
Like most health-related things, the key is in the balance: exposing yourself to the unprotected midday sun can lead to a sunburn, but sunning in the morning or late afternoon for a few minutes is likely to do a lot. good.
Benefits Of Sunlight - What Vitamin Do You Get From The Sun (March 2024)
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