Fake Bake and Vitamin D

Indoor Tanning

Fake bake tanning referrers to indoor tanning, and despite the many warnings from dermatologists and the pharmaceutical industry, it's still very popular. I personally enjoy my fake bake visit not just because of the great tan I get, but also because of how it makes me feel. I don't mean the great feeling I get from looking good, but rather the energetic feeling I have following my tanning visit.

After reading Dr. Holick's book, "The UV Advantage". I've come to the conclusion that the great feeling I get from my fake bake indoor tanning visit must be the beta endorphins, or "feel good" chemicals released by the UV stimulation. I'm also aware of the vitamin D boost my body gets from UVB exposre. I'm typically not one to go outside very often or drink much vitamin D fortified milk, so prior to my first tanning visit I was likely vitamin D deficient.

I looked up the symptoms for vitamin D deficiency in adults, I found the two major symptoms are muscle weakness and bone pain - I had both. Once I started my regular fake bake visits I found my muscle weakness and bone pain subsided. I had more energy and more endurance, it really made me feel so much better!

I now make a point of getting my daily dose of UV and I take Micheal Holick's words to heart, as he says in The UV Advantage "Subjecting yourself to unlimited amounts of UVB is potentially harmful. But denying yourself any and all UVB can lead to serious health problems."