reminding everyone to wear sunscreen because the sun is a deadly laser: 😁😊
having to spend 10 minutes slathering yourself in grease just to safely be outside in the sun for 20 minutes. because the sun is a deadly laser: 😐👎
Is this a joke? because 20 minutes is about the amount of sun exposure you should ideally be getting UNPROTECTED to make Vitamin D if you’re light-skinned. If you’re darker-skinned you need more, maybe even up to an hour. And that’s midday sun. There is absolutely no reason to “protect” yourself from the sun early in the morning or in the evening. Letting early morning light hit your bare skin and eyes prepares your body for more intense sun exposure later in the day.
The sun’s rhythms govern all terrestrial life, and our bodies evolved to utilize its various wavelengths. Treating the sun as a deadly laser is about the worst thing you can do for your health.
girl the skin cancer
Oh boy there is something very insidious about advocating for darker skinned people to spend more unprotected time in the Sun, especially when detecting skin cancer is already so biased towards light skinned people and leads to many poc going unchecked for skin cancer until it’s already too late.
I’m not saying it was a deliberate act of racism, but that’s why it’s so insidious, because it happens without conscious thought; this is a pretty good example of how racism slips into literally every aspect of daily life without people even noticing. If you need more Vitamin D, supplements are good enough. They work for people who live in countries that already don’t get much sunlight. If you are dark skinned, do NOT spend an hour in the Sun unprotected, use sunscreen and stay in the shade.
Here’s an article on the signs of skin cancer in people with all skin types, and why it’s a complete misunderstanding that people with more melanin don’t need as much sun protection.
Every single article about skin cancer advocates for UV protection no matter what your skin type is. They do not think that “natural” Vitamin D is worth the risk of dying.
also it is good to get some direct sunshine for vitamin d, but *sunscreen does not substantially affect vitamin d conversion*
so wear your sunscreen!
