| I've been living in Australia and New Zealand, and have been terrified of sun exposure - during peak times (summer mid-day) it's scary how quickly you can burn. However I also have low vitamin D. My current strategy is to check the UV levels (I've got a widget on my personal dashboard) and whenever the UV levels are moderate or below, I try to get as much sun exposure as possible - shorts and t-shirt, or topless. I then cover up when the UV levels are demonstrably high. My theory is that low levels of exposure are very good - you get your vitamin D, whatever else you need, and your body starts to build an appropriate amount of melanin. The worst thing to do is to avoid sun all the time, then suddenly get massive UV doses. I've noticed that my hands very rarely get burned compared to other areas - my theory is due to constant exposure that part of my body is more resistant compared to the pasty areas. My key point is that you can view the UV rating and protect yourself appropriately - e.g. high caution summer-midday, zero caution winter mid-day. |
I'm glad I was forced to wear a helmet because otherwise my head would look weird ;)