Science Journal

How Sun Gives Vitamin D to People

Most of my friends were scared of going to the light so they brought out an umbrella to protect their skin from sunlight. But I told them that it is okay to expose their skin within 20 minutes so they will get an essential Vitamin D from sunlight but they refused and joked that Vitamin Darkness is what they were going obtain. So I let myself expose to the sunlight for Vitamin D and believed that it whitens my skin a little bit but not too long because I do not want my healthy skin cells to mutate into cancer. But I wondered how crepuscular rays gives Vitamin D to the skin? Do sunlight contains Vitamin D? Do vitamin D actually whiten the skin? How? So, as usual, I consulted Google and the answers were surprising.

It is not the sun that gives vitamin D because our skin actually creates that said vitamin but not activated. It needs the deadly radiation, UV-B rays to trigger the inactive compound, 7-dehydrocholesterol into an active vitamin D3, Calcitriol. The chemical conversion seems like complicated to explain but I will try. *When skin is enlightened, the 7-dehydrocholesterol from the largest organ will travel to the liver where it is added with oxygen and hydrogen, thereby becoming a 25-hydroxy vitamin D then goes to the kidney to reach its final activated form, 1,25 dihydroxy vitamin D or Calcitriol or in short, D3 and ready for distribution. However, the amount of vitamin D that are synthesized varies from person to person. A person might be old or applies sunscreen or has dark skin which are the factors that hinders the vitamin D to be synthesized. In dark-skinned people, they have a higher amount of melanin that impedes vitamin D synthesis but protects them from cancer-inducing UV radiation of the sun. So they do not need to buy sunscreen or any sun protector because their dark-hued skin will suffice. Perhaps, skin cancer is one of the least things they worry about.

Furthermore, we need to expose ourselves to sunlight to avoid vitamin D deficiency and buy food in a public market. Without it, we might suffer from osteomalacia, weak immune system, hormonal imbalance, and rickets especially children. The DBP (vitamin D Binding Protein) in D3 affects the whole body system. It helps build stronger bones, maintain nervous system function, treat diabetes, autoimmune diseases, infection, cognitive degeneration, cancer and heart diseases. But too much vitamin D would lead to overproduction of calcium which built up calcium stones and cause kidney problems and etc (end of thinking capacity).

Sadly, I never encountered any article or video that shows vitamin D3 lightens skin color. So, which means sunlight only makes my oily skin shines like a newly polished especially in my big forehead and darken my light skin if I sunbathe over 20 minutes. 

*correct me if I'm wrong