Which vitamin promotes tanning?

There are two ways to understand tanning support. The first way to improve skin colouring is to protect against the negative effects of excessive exposure to solar radiation. The second way is to support the production of skin pigments, i.e. melanin, but in this case the situation is not as simple as protecting yourself from sunburn.

1. What determines skin colour?
2. How does tanning work?
3. Vitamins and sunbathing

What determines skin colour?

Whether someone has almost white skin or skin so dark that it is impossible to tan depends on the level of melanin in the skin. The main factor determining this is genetic conditioning, and most often skin colour is a combination of the skin colours of the parents or sometimes the result of certain aberrations (e.g. in the case of albinism).

The amount of melanin in the skin depends on the genes directly related to it, but also on the genes that indirectly regulate its production. It is produced from the amino acid tyrosine, so any genetic problems with the ‘turnover’ of this amino acid in the body can also affect melanin and skin colour.

How does tanning work?

Tanning is a process that people undergo in order to achieve a darker skin colour than their natural complexion. However, it should be remembered that a tan is more of a temporary adaptation of the body to excessive exposure to sunlight, which is risky to health, than something that would evolutionarily help in any other way. Skin cells "try" to adapt to conditions, one of the symptoms of which, in the presence of intense solar radiation, is increased production of melanin, a dark (brown) pigment.

Its main function in the body is to protect against DNA-damaging UV rays. In addition to the skin, it also colours the hair and eyes. People with exceptionally fair skin are more susceptible to sunburn and radiation-related skin diseases than those with naturally dark skin. However, they synthesise vitamin D, which is essential for many life processes, more quickly, and together with melanin, it protects against radiation.

Vitamins and sunbathing

Although vitamin A is commonly considered to be beneficial for tanning, scientific evidence points to other vitamins that may have even greater potential. However, this potential relates to the protection of skin cells rather than promoting the tanning process. In fact, vitamin C may have the most beneficial effect on the tanning process among vitamins.

It helps to alleviate oxidative stress and is involved in collagen synthesis, which means it can protect against the effects of solar radiation during tanning. Vitamin E is also noteworthy for its antioxidant potential.

When considering the role of vitamin A in sunbathing, it is worth remembering that the orange tint of the skin, which may appear with increased consumption, is more a symptom of excess in the body than a pronounced tan. However, when used in doses adequate to the body's needs, it can also have an antioxidant effect.