Benefits of the sun

The sun as a source of well-being

The sun is the source of life and is key to our development. It’s an undeniable source of pleasure, good humour and joy for our mental and physical health. One look at your weather app in the morning and you know if your day is going to start well (or not)! The term “seasonal affective disorder” is even used when the sun becomes scarce in winter. The sun generates the production of feel-good hormones, and it also guarantees our chronobiological balance: our alternating sleep-wake cycles. A life without sun is impossible.   But the number one benefit of the sun, essential to life, is the synthesis of vitamin D through the action of UVB. A few minutes of facial exposure a day is enough to produce the necessary amount of Vitamin D, which allows calcium to be absorbed by the digestive tract and boosts our immune system, protecting us from infections and surrounding microbes.

Sunshine in moderation

The sun can also have negative effects on the skin, due to UVA and UVB radiation:

• Sunburn,
• skin ageing
• brown sunspots 
• melanoma

- UVA: these very penetrating rays alter the elastic fibres of the skin and are responsible for premature skin ageing which shows up especially as brown sunspots. These rays are also involved in the development of certain skin cancers and melanomas.

- UVB rays stimulate melanin, causing a tan to appear within 48 hours. These rays are responsible for "sunburns" and premature skin ageing in the longer term, and can also trigger the development of certain skin cancers.