Email asking: DO YOU HAVE TO HAVE SUN EXPOSURE WHILST TAKING BOOST?
This was my reply to an email asking the following question… Does Boost need UV or sunlight for this natural tanning supplement to stimulate re-pigmentation in vitiligo?
It is something people quite often ask. And it is especially relevant for those of us who live in countries that don’t get much warmth or sunshine for several months of the year.
I don’t have any scientific evidence to say for certain one way of the other. But my answer is based on my own experience. And on my gut feeling about the re-pigmentation process I went through, using nutritional supplements as a therapy.
Dear …[from New York]
Thanks for your email. I can’t really answer this question with absolute certainly. But my own perception from my experience with Boost was that it did require sunlight or UV to produce pigment. Logic tells me that tanning is a 2 step process.
- Your body has to have the necessary components (i.e. chemical structure, nutrients, etc.) to be able to produce pigment at all – and that’s what Boost appears to deliver.
- It has to be exposed to light in order to stimulate the process into making that pigment.
However, logic also tells me that the most important step is step 1 because without it, step 2 is impossible.
It may well be that natural skin colour would eventually return without any sun exposure at all. But I think it would take very much longer (possibly years as opposed to months). Based on that, my advice would be to start taking Boost now to build up the nutrients in your system and then, by the time the sun hits New York again you will hopefully see some good re-pigmentation.
A footnote
As a footnote to this subject, a course of phototherapy through the winter months is always worth considering. Narrowband UVB is the gold standard light therapy treatment for vitiligo and can be administered in either a clinical setting or at home (using the appropriate equipment designed for home use and being sure to strictly follow all safety guidelines).