Why I Avoid the Sun

People call me a vampire.

It's true, I avoid the sun… but not all the time. People want me to get a tan because they assume my pale skin is unhealthy. Our culture mistakenly equates a sun tan with health, but that's far from the truth.

A sun tan isn't a marker of good health; it's a sign your skin has been damaged.

Chronic UV exposure causes 80-90% of visible facial aging. It's ALSO responsible for 83% of melanoma cases globally (the most dangerous type of skin cancer).

Sunlight is also good for you… with caveats.

In this blog post, I am going to share my sunlight protocol, so you can get the good without the bad.

Sunlight is good

Sunlight helps:

• promote vitamin D production: Good for bones and immune health.
• increase serotonin: Boosts mood and calmness.
• regulate your circadian rhythm: Improves sleep quality.

Sunlight is bad

Sunlight can:

• break down collagen and elastin: This leads to wrinkles, sagging, and general skin aging.
• increase the risk of skin cancers: Including melanoma, basal cell carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma.

Tips to get the good without the bad

1. get sun exposure when the UV index is below 3: Generally, get sunlight in the early morning and late afternoon. If in the sun between 10am to 4pm, protect your skin.
2. don't get burned
3. protect your skin when the UV index is >4: Wear a hat, sunscreen, or use a UV umbrella. Get UV-tinted windows if possible to block 99% of damaging UV rays.
4. get light in your eyes first thing in the morning: Either from the sun or if you wake up before the sun rises like me, you can use a 10,000 lux device.
5. supplement vitamin D levels: I take 2,000 IU daily. Vitamin D is in Blueprint Essential Capsules.
6. use a mineral sunscreen that protects against UVA and UVB
7. a burn is potentially more dangerous than a chemical sunscreen: Try to avoid both.
8. if you dislike sunscreen, refer to 1, 2, and 3