As summer approaches, medical professionals urge people to lather on the sunscreen to protect from the sun’s harmful rays. However, while sunscreen is protecting your skin, it’s also preventing your body from getting healthy vitamin D every day.

As important as it is to protect your body, the products we use often have chemicals in them that can cause problems. Sunscreen works to protect, but also could be blocking important vitamin D from reaching the body. Hand sanitizer can weaken the skin if overused and antiperspirants have been linked to diseases in the past. Too much of anything can create unintended consequences. Here are a few examples:

SUNSCREEN VS. VITAMIN D

Ann Chapman, dietitian at Watkins Memorial Health Center, said covering the skin’s surface with sunscreen could limit the body’s ability for vitamin D conversion.

“There are a lot of studies that show the milligram amount of vitamin D that’s recommended for Americans needs to be increased,” Chapman said. “So many doctors are encouraging their patients to get more vitamin D and that’s especially true for middle-aged and older Americans.”

Chapman said 15 to 20 minutes of sun exposure would allow for a sufficient amount of vitamin D. She said 20 minutes outside without sunscreen would be safe and still allow for the appropriate amount of vitamin D.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a lack of vitamin D can increase the likelihood of a disorder called rickets, which debilitates the bones.

Patty Quinlin, nursing supervisor at Watkins Memorial Health Center, said vitamin D aids in the health of our bones, our energy level and our mood.

“Vitamin D is an important source and it may even give us a protective barrier in our cellular level against cancer,” Quinlin said.

However, medical professionals differ on the subject. Dr. Lee Bittenbender, with the Dermatologist Center of Lawrence, said the risk of not wearing sunscreen far exceeds whatever slight decrease in vitamin D production a person may have from wearing it.

“You can get your vitamin D from other sources then just being in the sun,” Bittenbender said. “To me, the most sense comes from protecting your skin and then maybe taking some supplemental vitamin D.”

But Chapman said the amount of vitamin D in multiple vitamins and food, such as oily fish and fortified milk, still doesn’t have an adequate amount. People need vitamin D working in conjunction with calcium to strengthen their bones.

If you’re outside for six to seven hours a day sunscreen should be worn and you will still get more than enough vitamin D. But, people who overuse sunscreen or aren’t spending much time outside will be vitamin D deficient, Chapman said.

“Vitamin D is very important but we know skin ages very quickly under the stress of the sun and we know the sun causes certain types of skin cancer like Melanoma,” Quinlin said. “Therefore it does behoove us to continue the practice of using sunscreen.”

HAND SANITIZER

VS. SOAP AND WATER

Instead of soap and water, hand sanitizer has become a popular choice. People carry it around on a daily basis. But Quinlin said it should never be overused because too much hand washing can weaken the strength of your skin.

“Hand sanitizer should be used when soap and water are not readily available but should not replace soap and water,” Quinlin said. “The more vigorous you rub the better you are at getting the gel to the germs.”

Bittenbender said hand sanitizer is very high in alcohol content and can cause dry skin. If hands are truly dirty, then soap and water is the better choice, but if you’re trying to kill germs, then hand sanitizers work fine, he said.

Quinlin said the use of hand sanitizer can diminish the immunities we have naturally in our hands and that overusing hand sanitizer weakens the integrity of the skin.

“Dry, cracked skin increases the chance for germs to settle into those areas,” Quinlin said. “You’re just giving germs a bigger reservoir to sit in.”

ANTIPERSPIRANTS VS. DEODORANT

Antiperspirants prevent sweating while deodorants masks odor. Minimizing the amount of sweat can help prevent body odor but antiperspirants add chemicals to the body as well.

Aluminum is one of the most prevalent chemicals in antiperspirants.

Quinlin said in the 1980s, research showed that individuals afflicted with Alzheimer’s had a higher concentration of aluminum in their bodies. As a result, people began to quit using antiperspirants and move to plain deodorant. But, Quinlin said there is no concrete data on how much the daily use of antiperspirants increases your risk of Alzheimer’s.

“We all sweat differently,” Quinlin said. “If someone can get by with plain deodorant and be comfortable and have those around them be comfortable I say go for it.”

Quinlin said her best advice, since there are so many unknowns, is to avoid putting as many chemicals into their body as possible. So, use the lowest level of protection that’s agreeable with you.

— — Edited by Kristen Liszewski