Last Updated on 3rd June 2023 by Caroline Haye
Will sun make me gain skin pigment or lose it?
We Brits have a reputation for going a bit bonkers with our sunbathing whenever we get good weather. With the result that each mini “heatwave” we have leaves a percentage of the population a tender shade of beetroot. Despite all the health warnings, it seems that the lure of a warm, relaxing sun lounger and the prospect of airing our winter-cocooned flesh for the first time in six or seven months is just too much for some of us to resist. And so we throw all caution and common sense to the wind whenever we get the chance. Of course, deep down, we all know that moderation is the key for most of us. But some of us may have more specific questions about sun exposure, like: is sunshine good for vitiligo?
Having said all that, deciding how much sun exposure is too much is not an exact science… Especially as the answer is likely to be different for each person, depending on their age, skin type, whether or not they use an SPF and the strength of the sun in their location on any given day. Then there are other apparently contradictory considerations to take into account… Like the fact that sun exposure is good for you because it is a natural mood enhancer… It stimulates healthy blood circulation and it is the body’s main source of vitamin D production… And yet it is bad for you because it causes skin damage and can lead to painful burns or even cancer.
How much sunbathing is too much?
Throw into the mix a particular skin condition, like vitiligo, that involves increased photosensitivity, and the question of how much sun is too much becomes even more problematic. Since the white patches caused by vitiligo lack pigment to protect them from UV radiation they are more prone to sunburn than normal skin. Not only that, but there are cosmetic and psychological implications to consider. The risk of increasing the contrast between pigmented and depigmented areas of skin is reason enough to cause most vitiligo sufferers to avoid sun tanning as much as possible. But, on the other hand, many people report improvements in their pigmentation following sun exposure. And, of course, UV therapy (especially narrowband UVB) has a well-documented success record in a significant proportion of vitiligo patients.
Why does the sun make some people’s vitiligo worse?
Some people blame even moderate sun exposure for new vitiligo lesions. But, as far as I can tell, there is no concrete evidence for this. It seems more likely that this is just a perception… Due to the fact that new vitiligo patches are sometimes not clearly visible (except under a Wood’s lamp) until the tanning effect has caused the surrounding skin to darken. So, if someone’s vitiligo is spreading, exposing their skin to sunlight will simply highlight what is happening anyway. Another reason for the perception might be that sunburn often causes the skin to itch. Then, if the person scratches their skin, the trauma can cause new lesions to appear. (Otherwise known as the Koebner Phenomenon. For more detail on this, see Why Do Skin Injuries Cause Vitiligo?)
In any case, the fact remains that some people find sunlight beneficial and others believe it makes their vitiligo worse. This could be due to a number of different factors. It could be a question of how much sun exposure a person has. (Too much may be harmful, whereas a moderate amount is helpful).
It could be the fact that sunshine consists of a variety of different types of radiation and different people might respond differently to each one. For example, UVA increases oxidative stress, which is a key factor in the development of vitiligo… Whereas narrowband UVB stimulates the production of new melanin and achieves good results in the treatment of vitiligo.
Or it could be because UV exposure only improves vitiligo if the body has sufficient reserves of the raw materials it needs to produce pigment. Some vitiligo sufferers may have just enough of these in their system for sunlight to trigger the mechanism and others may not.
How sun exposure helped my vitiligo recovery
I am certain that regular sun exposure played a part in my repigmentation. But only after I had started to supply my body with the nutrients that it needed. (And that, for some reason, I was not getting in sufficient quantities from my diet.) Without nutritional supplementation, sun exposure would probably have continued to be problematic. Certainly, this had always been my previous experience anyway. Every summer I would dread sunny weather because it was then that new white patches became apparent and old ones looked more conspicuous. It was only after supplementing my diet that sunbathing set off the pigmentation process again. (See The Vitiligo Therapy That Worked for the details.)
In any event, the conclusion I have reached on the question of sun exposure will probably come as no great surprise. It is a matter of moderation in all things. The commonsense approach (whether you have vitiligo or not) is to avoid burning your skin. If only because sunburn is uncomfortable and unsightly, not to mention carcinogenic. But it also makes sense to get regular, moderate exposure so as to benefit from the health and mood-boosting benefits it delivers… Especially if one of those benefits is to wake up dormant pigment and return your white patches to their original colour. So I, for one, am looking forward to soaking up some sunshine this weekend – but I won’t be overdoing it!
