There appear to be several ways to block damaging UVA while passing the UVB which provides vitamin D and long term tanning

1. Pill with natural antioxidents

2. Cream with natural antioxidents

3. A special sunscreen which blocks UVA, but not UVB

1. 1

In Jan 2012 I became aware of a pill which provides some protection of damage of the skin from the sun.

The pill contains natural antioxidents which reduce skin damage for both UVA and UVB rays WITHOUT decreasing the amount of UVB (read that as Vitamin D) that the skin receives.

You need to have been taking the pill for several weeks for the protection to build up.

It appears to reduce the amount of skin damage by 3X, that is, it allows you to get 3X as much vitamin D from the sun before getting any skin damage.

It might decrease photosensitivity.

The pill is available for $30 and $4 shipping in the US. By the middle of 2012 they hope ship to other countries.

• http://www.sunsaferx.com

• SunsafeRx press release

• Description of Ingredients at sunsaferx

  • Polypodium Leucotomos Leaf Extract; Green Tea Extract; Lycopene
  • Beta-Carotene, Alpha-Carotene, and Gamma-Carotene
  • Antioxidine™; Phytoene and Phytofluene; Lutein; Zeaxanthin
  • Astaxanthin; Selenium; Zinc; Vitamin C; Vitamin E; Omega-3

---

1. 2 8 Natural ways to prevent a sunburn – July 2011

• Lycopene (cooked tomatoes), Astaxanthin , Vitamin D, Long-Chain Omega-3s , Saturated Fat, Tea , Proanthocyanidins, Resveratrol

---

1. 3

Would have been nice to have had a sunscreen which blocked just UVA,

Unfortunately, most suncreens block both UVA and UVB

Some sunscreens block UVB more than UVA - the exact opposite of what is wanted (dashed line)

• Website of company making sunscreen cream using Mexoryl SX
  • ANTHELIOS SX has a SPF 15 (SPF means Sun Protection Factor which measures the UVB protection level)
  • and a PFA 15 (PFA means Protection Factor UVA which measures the UVA protection level)
  • Nice Spectra: Allows the Vitamin D and tanning of UVB, but blocks UVA
  • The dotted line below is not exactly the dashed line idealized above, but is pretty good

Many sunscreen products do NOT block the upper UVA

This might be the reason that as people feel that they can stay out in the sun longer they get more cancer while getting less vitamin D

---

See also VitaminDWiki

• All items in Noon sun and vitamin D items

• Optimize vitamin D from the sun includes the following idea

  • Use Sun tan oil (the inverse of SunScreen: SPF of 0.6 to 0.2)

• Get just UVB from the sun by being on the far side of a special mirror

• Increased UVB intensity did not increase vitamin D generated – Nov 2010

• Scared Out of the Sun for Fifty Years – Jan 2011

• Opinion: sun better than UV better than vitamin D

• UVB US via NASA Toms Satellite 2010.pdf file

• No – 10 minutes per day of sun-UVB is NOT enough – May 2011

• Wear glasses when getting vitamin D from the sun – June 2011

• 4X more suburban UV than urban UV – Nov 2010

• Shade is better than sunscreen – does not eliminate the vitamin D – June 2011

• UV - not too little and not too much World Health Orgamization 2006 - good graphs and charts

• Perhaps not burn from the sun if have enough vitamin D

• Patent application for a skin cream which enhances production of vitamin D – Holick July 2013

See also web

• SUNSCREENS – Are They An Oxymoron? Aug 2011 by Healthworldnet
  • Excellent extensive analysis, with videos, of many aspects of sunscreens
• Sunscreens containing the broad-spectrum UVA absorber, Mexoryl SX,
  • prevent the cutaneous detrimental effects of UV exposure: a review of clinical study results. 2008

• Burns: Where Has All the Calcium (and Vitamin D) Gone? 2011 after skin burns, full text on-line

• Vitamins for Skin Burn July 2011 LiveStrong: burns consume lots of vitamin D, which results in bone loss

• SUNSCREENS – Are They An Oxymoron? Aug 2011 by Healthworldnet

  • Excellent extensive analysis, with videos, of many aspects of sunscreens

• Environmental Working Group - Extensive analysis of SunScreens 2011

  • Includes chemicals, spectrum, efficacy, skin cancer,
  • Does sunscreen damage skin?, Getting enough, Problem with vitamin A , What's wrong with high SPF