Does Sunscreen Cause Vitamin D Deficiency? A Dermatologist Explains

As a board-certified dermatologist, one of the questions I hear most often is: “If I wear sunscreen every day, won’t I become vitamin D deficient?” This is a reasonable question. Here’s what the science actually says.

Sunscreen and Vitamin D: The Short Answer

You can get all the vitamin D you need from food and supplements, without increasing your risk of skin cancer. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends getting vitamin D from your diet, fortified foods, and supplements if needed, and not from unprotected sun exposure or tanning beds.

Why Not Just Get Vitamin D From the Sun?

Your skin makes vitamin D when it’s hit by UVB rays. The problem is that the same UV rays damage the DNA in your skin cells, and that damage can lead to skin cancer, including melanoma.

• No “safe” amount of UV exposure has been shown to boost vitamin D without also raising skin cancer risk.
• Sun-made vitamin D is unreliable. It depends on the season, where you live, your age, and your skin tone. In much of the U.S., winter sunlight is too weak to make meaningful vitamin D. People with darker skin can make several times less vitamin D from the same amount of sun.
• Supplements work better. Studies comparing the two have found that oral vitamin D raises blood levels more effectively than sun exposure.

Will Wearing Sunscreen Make Me Vitamin D Deficient?

For most healthy people, everyday sunscreen use doesn’t cause a meaningful deficiency.

• In real life, most studies have found that sunscreen users have similar, and sometimes even higher, vitamin D levels than non-users. One reason is that nobody applies sunscreen perfectly, and some UV still gets through.
• An international panel of dermatology and endocrinology experts concluded that daily broad-spectrum sunscreen use is unlikely to compromise vitamin D levels in healthy people.
• To be fully transparent: A recent study from Australia found that people who applied high-SPF sunscreen every day for a year had slightly lower vitamin D levels than people who used sunscreen only occasionally. The researchers did not conclude that you should stop using sunscreen. They concluded that regular sunscreen users may benefit from a vitamin D supplement.

That is exactly my advice: protect your skin, and cover your vitamin D needs with food and/or a supplement.

The Truth About Tanning Beds and Vitamin D

Tanning salons sometimes advertise their beds as a healthy source of vitamin D, but this is misleading.

• Tanning beds are classified as known cancer-causing agents (Group 1 carcinogens) by the World Health Organization, the same category as tobacco smoke. Using them increases your risk of melanoma, basal cell carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma.
• Most tanning beds emit mainly UVA light, which isn’t effective at producing vitamin D; your skin needs UVB to make it.
• The boost doesn’t last. In one study, people who used tanning beds twice a week saw a short-term bump in vitamin D after one week. By 12 weeks, their levels were back to where they started and no different from people who never tanned.

Tanning beds should never be used to get vitamin D. A supplement that costs a few cents a day does the job safely.

What Are Good Food Sources of Vitamin D?

Few foods naturally contain much vitamin D, which is why fortified foods and supplements are so useful:

• Fatty fish such as salmon, trout, sardines, and tuna
• Eggs
• Fortified milk and plant-based milks
• Fortified breakfast cereals and some orange juices

If you don’t regularly eat these foods, a daily vitamin D3 supplement is an easy, inexpensive option.

My recommendations

• Keep wearing broad-spectrum sunscreen (SPF 30 or higher), along with hats, protective clothing, and shade.
• Get vitamin D from food and, if needed, a supplement.
• Skip the tanning bed. Always.
• Ask your doctor if you have risk factors for deficiency or questions about testing.

You don’t have to choose between healthy skin and healthy bones. You can, and should, have both.

Let’s Talk

Have questions about sun protection or a specific skin concern? Schedule an appointment with BMC Dermatology in Boulder, Louisville, or Longmont, Colorado. When scheduling, ask about earlier availability for a focused visit to evaluate a specific spot, rash, or other area of concern.