Many misconceptions exist about the sun's role in skin damage and how we can keep our skin—and bodies—healthy. So, let's debunk some common myths and take an in-depth look at preventing and treating skin cancer and shoring up our skin health.
Skin: our largest organ
Though many people think of organs as inside our bodies (brain, lungs, heart, etc.), our largest organ is our skin. In adults, it accounts for roughly 15 percent of our body weight and has a surface area of 16–22 square feet.1 This miraculous organ has several critical jobs: it protects our internal organs from extreme temperatures, excessive sun damage and chemicals; manufactures protective vitamin D; and even produces antimicrobial peptides that shield the body from infection.2
But our skin takes a beating. And protecting it while still soaking up enough sunshine to confer health benefits can be tricky. After all, our main source of vitamin D production is sunlight, and we make this crucial, fat-soluble vitamin when our skin is exposed to the sun's rays. Too much is harmful, but so is too little. Adequate vitamin D levels provide a host
