UVB Light and Sunscreen

3% Dihydroxyacetone (DHA or Sunless Tanning Agent) Inhibits Vitamin D Production in the Skin in Response to Ultraviolet Light

Status

Completed

Phases

Phase 4

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT00818467

Acronym

Sunscreen

Enrollment

Registered

2009-01-07

Start date

2008-05-31

Completion date

2009-02-28

Last updated

2009-12-01

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Vitamin D Status

Keywords

Skin tone, Vitamin D

Brief summary

Patients need vitamin D which is normally produced in the skin in response to ultraviolet light from the sun. Vitamin D is important for calcium absorption and good bone health. Physicians have been using sunscreens to protect patients from skin cancer and the aging effects of sunlight for a least a half a century. Dermatologists have promoted sunscreen use to restrict sunlight exposure especially in white Caucasians. If this behavior is done 100% of the time when outdoors individuals may suffer from vitamin D deficiency. It is impossible to influence persons' behavior to wear sunscreens all the time when outdoors. With the use of sunless tanning agent (DHA), once a week, we can obtain a continuous sunscreen in the top layer of the skin that will not wash off, can't be removed with soap and water, or removed by perspiration. Under these circumstances we can answer the scientific question, will sunscreen use inhibit the production of vitamin D in the skin?

Interventions

OTHERTanning spray

using 3% DHA twice a week for the 1st week and then once a week for 4 weeks and receiving 40mJ UV-B phototherapy three times a week for four weeks

OTHERUVB

receiving 40mJ UV-B phototherapy three times a week for four weeks

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

19 Years to 50 Years

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Inclusion criteria

* males or females * ages 19-50 with less than 16 oz milk per day * less than 10 hours of sun per week * no Vitamin D supplements * no anticonvulsants * no barbiturates * no steroids * no meds that increase photosensitivity * no granulomatous disease * no liver or kidney disease * no history of skin cancer * BMI less than 30 * skin types I & II

Exclusion criteria

* None

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
To measure the response of 25(OH)D to 40 milliJoules of UV-B light in white Caucasians with melanoidins-sunscreen from 3% DHA in comparison to the response of control subjects who have not used 3% DHA.	1 month

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026