Did you know..?

People with darker skin tones, have natural SPF protection of about 16?

Darker skin blocks more UV rays that produce vitamin D3 in our skin, so people with a darker complexion need 10 to 20% more exposure to UVB, in comparison to lighter skin tones (who only need about one or two hours exposure).
Here's the science.......What is vitamin D3, and how is it produced in our body?
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that promotes absorption of calcium and phosphorous. Our skin produces one of the forms of this vitamin (Cholecalciferol). It's created when sunlight hits our skin and ultraviolet rays react with steroid chemicals in body fat just underneath. That is one of the reasons for vitamin D's nickname "The Sunshine Vitamin".

Other sources of vitamin D are fatty fish such as tuna, salmon or sardines.

As vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium, it is very important to keep our bones and teeth in top condition.

Our skin colour is obviously determined by our genes, these will in turn determine the amount and type of melanin produced in our bodies.

So the more melanin produced, the darker will be our skin tone....

So to round things up.....

More melanin = more natural UV blockage = less Vitamin D3 produced :)

However, do not forget that no matter what colour your skin is, you still need to wear a suitable sunscreen as over exposure can lead to lots of unwanted health problems..

So let’s all top up on our sunscreen this summer!! :)

The original idea for this blog post was not my own, it is from Nikita's blog called Mini Black Dress.

She did her post on this in Portuguese, and I asked her if she would allow me to use it and translate it for you guys and she agreed!! :)

All I did was do some more research on the subject and add some extra info, but all the credit is on her :)

Thanks Nikita
Mini Black Dress

If you want to see the original post that inspired this one, or check out Nikita's blog just click the link above.

Wanna learn more on the subject here is where I found all the relevant info.
Wikipedia & dummies.com

Hope you enjoyed our very science inspired post!! :)

xoxo Dee*