Can You Get Vitamin D from a Tanning Bed?

Vitamin D is crucial for many physiological functions, and maintaining healthy vitamin D levels has many health benefits. 

Vitamin D is the only nutrient produced when the skin is exposed to sunlight, and it’s vital to understand that using tanning beds won’t raise vitamin D levels but may increase your risk of developing skin cancer. 

Learn why tanning beds don’t boost vitamin D and what steps you can take to promote healthy vitamin D levels.

How your body gets vitamin D from the sun

Vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, is produced when the skin is exposed to ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation from sunlight. UVB rays permeate into the epidermal layer of the skin and trigger vitamin D synthesis. 

This complex biochemical pathway transforms stored previtamin D3 into vitamin D3, which is transported to the liver and kidneys and converted into an active form. 

“Natural sunlight comprises different types of UV radiation, including UVA, UVB, and UVC light,” explains Dr. Berg. “However, vitamin D production can only be activated by UVB rays.”        

How much vitamin D your body can produce depends on factors including your average UVB light exposure, age, skin tone, body weight, health status, and geographical location.

Watch the video below to learn why artificial UV radiation doesn’t promote vitamin D production. 

Do you get vitamin D when you use a tanning bed?

Getting enough vitamin D from using tanning beds to maintain healthy vitamin D levels is impossible. 

Indoor tanning equipment found in most tanning salons doesn’t emit the UVB radiation needed to trigger vitamin D production. 

Tanning beds cause your skin to tan because they operate with UVA light that penetrates deeper into the skin compared to UVB light. While you may enjoy an even-looking tan, tanning lamps may increase your cancer risk.

The Skin Cancer Foundation issued a statement highlighting tanning beds’ ineffectiveness in raising vitamin D levels. This report also warned frequent tanners of skin damage linked to indoor tanning and the cancer-causing effects of artificial UVA radiation. 

This has been confirmed by research published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology reporting that visiting tanning salons significantly increases the risk of skin cancer, including basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). 

The authors summarize, “Indoor tanning was associated with a 69% increased risk of early-onset BCC. This association was stronger among women.”

In fact, a ten-minute tanning session can expose you to 12 times the annual UVA dose compared to the dose you obtain from natural sunlight exposure. 

UVA radiation contains photons that can reach deep layers of skin and cause oxidative damage to cellular structures and DNA, significantly increasing the risk of carcinogenesis and skin cancer development.  

How to replenish vitamin D in the winter

Most people live in regions with limited sunshine during the winter months, and it’s unsurprising that the risk of vitamin D deficiency is significantly greater during winter than in summer.

Vitamin D can be found in some foods, including oily fish, egg yolks, beef liver, and fortified milk. However, food sources typically contain minimal amounts, and it’s unlikely you will get enough vitamin D from dietary intake alone.

Vitamin D supplements and cod liver oil products are popular dietary supplements and offer an easy and convenient way to promote healthy vitamin D levels. 

To get the most benefit from vitamin D supplementation, choose vitamin D3, which is the same active form of vitamin D produced in your skin. 

In addition, it’s best to combine vitamin D3 supplementation with vitamin K2 to support calcium balance and promote healthy bones. 

FAQ

Sources:

1. https://www.skincancer.org/blog/sun-protection-and-vitamin-d/ 
2. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3307842/