What are the benefits of Vitamin D?

Discover Vitamin D benefits for the skin and the safe ways to get it from the sun.

What does Vitamin D Do?

WHAT IS VITAMIN D?

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that you need for good health. It has several important functions in your body, such as helping it absorb calcium and facilitating a healthy immune system function by fighting off bacteria and viruses.

Your body needs Vitamin D for other functions too - your nerves need it to carry messages between your brain and your body and your muscles need it to move. It can also regulate and improve your mood and has many benefits for your skin.

Is vitamin D good for the skin?

What are the benefits of vitamin D?

Vitamin D benefits include lowering the risk of various illnesses by supporting vital body functions and being essential for healthy teeth and bones.

In addition to being an important nutrient for your overall health, Vitamin D is also beneficial to your skin as it has antimicrobial properties that can help reduce inflammatory symptoms of acne.

Vitamin D also helps with skin protection and rejuvenation by promoting skin cell growth, repair, and metabolism as well as enhancing the skin's immune system and helping to neutralise free radicals that can cause premature ageing.

What are the symptoms of vitamin D deficiency?

The symptoms which will alarm you about your potential Vitamin D deficiency are:

- Tiredness and fatigue
- Bone or muscle pain or weakness
- Stress fractures, especially in your legs
- Mood swings

If you think you might have Vitamin D deficiency, ask your doctor for advice.

HOW TO GET VITAMIN D?

The needed daily amount of Vitamin D depends on your age and whether you are pregnant or breastfeeding. The best way to find out the beneficial daily dose for you is by using blood tests offered by most laboratories.

You can get Vitamin D from the 3 main sources:
Nutrition
Sunlight
Supplements

Vitamin D in food:

Our body receives only a small percent of Vitamin D from food, but this doesn’t mean that it is not important to include foods with this vitamin in the diet! Fish, in particular, is rich in Vitamin D, so make sure to regularly include salmon, herring, mackerel or tuna in your diet. Alternatively, go for cod or beef liver, mushrooms or eggs.

woman standing in the sun with her eyes closed

Vitamin D from the sun

Our bodies can naturally produce Vitamin D when exposed to the sun. However, there are factors that can decrease the Vitamin D intake from this source: pollution, clouds, age, having a dark skin tone and spending a lot of time indoors (your skin doesn’t produce Vitamin D from sunlight that comes through the window).

How much Vitamin D can you get from the sun?

This also depends on various factors such as the country, the current season, the amount of exposed skin and the time of the day
It is stated that to obtain a sufficient amount of Vitamin D (approximate daily doses of Vitamin D (1000 IU)), it is enough to spend roughly 20-30 minutes in the sun three times a week.

The best time of the day to get the most, is midday as the sun is at its highest point and you will need less sun exposure time for your body to produce Vitamin D. Although midday is a beneficial time for Vitamin D production, the UV index is the strongest at this time so it also means it’s easier to burn, especially for children.

A large amount of UV radiation is harmful to our skin as it can cause cancer, and premature skin ageing so it’s important to balance the sun exposure between optimal time to get Vitamin D and to keep it safe for skin.

A good option is to use sunscreens with lower SPF such as NIVEA Protect & Moisture Lotion SPF 15, it protects your skin from ultraviolet radiation but it also enables Vitamin D production.

For children's sensitive skin NIVEA has a range of sunscreens for kids designed to provide highly effective immediate UVA/UVB protection to make sure you and your kids can enjoy the sun without worrying.

Sunscreen For Kids

IS THERE ENOUGH VITAMIN D IN THE WINTER SUN?

In the winter months, we tend not to have enough sun exposure and as a result, we can get a Vitamin D deficiency, which can be supported by taking supplements.

There are 2 types of supplements that you can try:

In tablets: Tablets are the ideal option if you want to control the amount of Vitamin D you take.

In drops: They are given mainly to babies and children, but adults can also use drops. These are very often combined with Calcium, and thus primarily serve to support proper bone growth.

It is ideal to supplement Vitamin D together with Vitamin K2. Vitamin D supports the absorption of Calcium, Vitamin K2 then "transports" Calcium to the right areas of the body to prevent, for example, calcification of blood vessels.

Can you get too much Vitamin D?

You cannot get too much Vitamin D from the sun, as our bodies regulate the produced intake, however, always remember to cover up or protect your skin if you’re out in the sun for a long period of time to reduce the risk of sunburn.

It is possible, however, to have excess Vitamin D from taking the supplements - this can lead to an increased level of calcium in your blood.

The symptoms of excess Vitamin D are:
- abdominal pain
- apathy
- vomiting
- dehydration
- confusion
- increased thirst
- nausea

By combining a balanced diet, staying in the sun for a safe period of time and using the recommended dosage of food supplements, you will achieve an optimal level of Vitamin D in your body.

PROTECT YOUR SKIN WITH NIVEA SUN

Always remember to protect your skin in the sun to avoid sunburn and skin damage. NIVEA has got exactly what you need to keep yourself and your whole family safe and comfortable in the sun, whatever the time of year. Discover the NIVEA sunscreen range designed to keep your skin protected, moisturised and soft.

For the strongest body protection try Protect & Moisture Ultra Spf 50+ . It provides immediate UV protection and supports skin protection from inside with antioxidant Vitamin E, keeping the skin moisturised.

The UV Face Specialist Triple Protect Sun Fluid SPF 50+ protects your face against UVA/UVB rays and from Blue light. The ultra-light moisturising fluid with Hyaluron absorbs immediately for an invisible finish on the skin and provides smooth and visibly healthy-looking skin.

Explore Triple Protect Sun Fluid

ginger hair girl holding a Nivea SPF face cream

Discover NIVEA Face Sunscreens designed to protect your skin from UV rays, whilst preventing the formation of dark spots and improve the appearance of existing wrinkles and pigmentation.

Discover NIVEA Face Sunscreens