[TylerLives]

I don't see how being in the sun could be bad for us. We've been doing it for as long as we've existed and every other form of life does it as well. Anecdotally, I feel amazing when I'm sunbathing and I feel terrible during winter when there's less sun. The only explanation I can come up with is that modern people are somehow uniquely sick so their bodies can't do what every other organism has done for billions of years.

[kelseyfrog]

The American Cancer Society seems to advise differently:

There are no safe UV rays[1].

Exposure-incidence models agree[2].

1. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/risk-prevention/sun-and-uv/sun...

2. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25213656/

[on_the_train]

Uv rays are not safe. But not getting uv rays is also not safe. Like so many things in biology, bodies are optimized for ranges in the middle and not at the extremes.

[ravenstine]

That's been my conclusion recently. While I'm sure it's true that people aren't getting enough vitamin D because they are indoors a lot, I'm not convinced you can't easily get enough of it in supplement form. If UV is only needed for vitamin D then you might as well avoid the aging effects of UV exposure and pop a pill.

[helph67]

I'm aware of the importance of wearing a hat (with a brim) when in sunlight, to protect scalp and ears from UV radiation. "Researchers think the three primary types of skin cancer -- melanoma, basal cell carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma -- are mostly caused by too much time in the sun. So it’s very important to use sunscreen or cover up if you’re going to be outside longer than 15 minutes or so." https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/ss/slideshow-sunlight-he...

[didntknowyou]

there's nothing wrong with being in the sun. but there's no denying UV rays damage the skin, accelerating the signs of ageing- hence the recommendation by dermaotlogist to avoid it.