What do you do for a sunburn? Most people just suffer for several days, although some have favorite home remedies such as Listerine, Greek yogurt or green tea. Some research suggests that a diet rich in tomatoes or vitamin C may offer limited protection from sunburn.
Will Vitamin D Reverse Sunburn?
A new study suggests that some day you may want to pop a vitamin D pill. In the trial, 20 volunteers got an experimental sunburn on their inner arm by exposing it to an ultraviolet lamp. An hour later, the participants took pills-placebo or three different doses of vitamin D3: 50,000, 100,000 or 200,000 IUs. These are extremely high doses of vitamin D.
The researchers checked the sunburns one, two and three days later, as well as a week afterward. People who took the highest dose of vitamin D3 had significantly less skin inflammation after two days. Their sunburn was less red, and their skin cells had more genes activated for repair.
That was apparently due to higher levels of an enzyme called arginase-1 that is important in helping skin heal.
Scott et al, Journal of Investigative Dermatology, July 2017
Sunburn Is Not Okay:
This research is preliminary, and it is not an endorsement of getting a sunburn. People should use clothing, hats, sunglasses and sunscreen to protect themselves from damaging ultraviolet rays. However, people who occasionally get sunburned might welcome an antidote. Presumably, the investigators are developing one, utilizing the information from this fascinating study.
In the interim, you may want to check out Consumer Reports on the best sunscreens this summer. The organization found that many sunscreens don’t live up to their billing, so don’t get burned.
