So far in this series, we’ve covered vitamins A, B and C as they relate to your skin. Today we are moving on to vitamin D.
There is something in the epidermis layer of your skin called 7-dehydrocholesterol or 7-DHC which is a vitamin D precursor. When UV radiation (solar ultraviolet B) interacts with it, it uses 7-DHC to stimulate the production of vitamin D3. D3 moves through your body and undergoes additional transformations into things that your body needs.
In a nutshell, some sun is essential for us. This is a great reason to get outside. There are factors that impact how long we need to be exposed which include:
- Latitude (where you live impacts how much UVB you can get seasonally)
- Time of day (impacts sunlight intensity)
- Skin pigmentation (darker skin takes longer to synthesize pre-vitamin D3 than fair skin)
- Amount of skin exposure
- Sunscreen use
- Age (there is generally less 7-DHC or vitamin D precursor in the skin as we mature)
This isn’t permission to slather yourself with baby oil and bake out in the sun like we used to do. As noted above, there a lot of factors and there isn’t any hard and fast rule that applies universally. Just get outside, get moving, and know that a little sun is actually good for your health.
Since we aren’t addressing dietary vitamins and we are only examining impact to skin – vitamin D is a bit different than the others we’ve discussed thus far. We can get all the vitamin D that we need if we just get the right amount of sunshine. Research shows that vitamin D has a role in wound healing, sun protection, hair follicle cycling and other biological functions.
What about topical vitamin D?
As I researched, I found that some dermatologists are looking to topical vitamin D for specific issues like psoriasis. Since most of us can get what we need from simple sunshine, there really isn’t a reason (in my non-expert opinion) to seek out topical vitamin D in your skincare. It feels more like a marketing ploy than proven, scientific foundation.
That said, I also discovered a few of my favorite products happen to have a “version” of topical vitamin D included.
Convenience links included below – I do not benefit from you clicking on them in any way!
- Drunk Elephant D-Bronzi Antipollution Sunshine Serum has a chronopeptide (Chronocyclin) which repairs, renews and regenerates cells as well as activates vitamin D. I bought this because of its beautiful bronzy glow when I don’t get enough sun – but I guess it’s nice to know there are some additional benefits to it!
- Herbivore Emerald CBD + Adaptogens Deep Moisture Glow Oil (the one I use and swear by for dealing with redness and healing after a micro-needling session) and Herbivore Deep Moisture Glow Oil both contain shiitake mushroom extract which is supposed to be a great source of vitamin D. Again, there isn’t much research on the value of this topically on the skin so I personally chalk the shiitake mushroom extract up to marketing and favor the products because they rock for other reasons! (Use this link for 15% off purchases over $75!)
My takeaway on vitamin D is that we need to have it, but use it as a reason to get outside and get a responsible dose of sunshine on the regular.
