"Perineum Sunning," aka Tanning Your Butthole, Does Not Have Any Health Benefits
12/10/2019There’s a new wellness trend you might see on Instagram, and it’s called perineum sunning—as in, sunning your perineum, or the bit of skin between your genitals and your asshole. The New York Post recently reported on the craze, citing influencers who have taken it up for its supposed health benefits.
While sure, soaking in some rays, which produces vitamin D in your body, has health benefits like helping with calcium absorption and regulating your immune system, does sunning your butthole specifically make a difference? Some are sure trying to claim it does. “[Thirty] seconds of direct sunlight injection to the anal orifice is equivalent to being outside in the sun ALL DAY!” writes @certifiedhealthnut on his Instagram caption.
But to be sure, we asked some doctors for their expert opinions…
“It’s hilarious and absurd,” Caren Campbell, MD says about the trend. “There’s zero evidence that there’s any merit in sunning the skin between your anus and genitals.” And in case that hard “lol no” wasn’t enough to convince you, just know that it’s pretty much the vibe across the MD board.
But what about vitamin D?
Yes, it’s true that vitamin D is good for you, “but perineum sunning to get vitamin D specifically to the anus is totally unnecessary,” adds Ohara Aivaz, MD, a board-certified medical and cosmetic dermatologist in Los Angeles. Not only can you live without it, but sunning your butthole might actually cause health problems. If you rarely get sun exposure on your genitals, you’re more likely to be susceptible to sunburn, which increases the risk of developing melanoma and other skin cancers. And if you’re like, Whatever, I’ve never heard of anyone getting skin cancer on their butthole…bad news. You can get skin cancer on anal and genital skin.
Sun + butthole skin = an even more dangerous move if you have HPV and/or herpes. Ultraviolet light can trigger a flare-up for herpes; If you have the kind of HPV that causes warts, UV exposure can also increase your risk of developing skin cancer, according to Aivas.
So, not only is sunning your anus useless at best and dangerous at worst, it’s also wildly inefficient if your main goal is to get your bod to produce more vitamin D. While it’s true that “getting limited sun exposure on skin is the only way we can endogenously produce vitamin D, the amount produced is based on skin surface area and not believed to be body site specific,” explains Tess Mauricio, MD, FAAD, a board certified dermatologist in San Diego.
Think about it: “the skin on your perineum and perianal area is so small, that you’d be better off creating more vitamin D by exposing your face to sunlight than holding a very awkward (though social media enticing) pose exposing your genitals and anus,” she adds.
Besides, “You absorb vitamin D systematically and it circulates throughout your body the same way regardless of how it got into you,” explains David Belk, MD, an internal medicine doctor. In other words, it’s not localized like you’re giving your butt some much-needed nutrients you’ve gone your whole life without.
If you are vitamin D deficient (which you can confirm by getting blood work done), oral supplementation is a great way of getting more of it into your diet, says Shari Sperling, DO, a board certified dermatologist. Otherwise, treat your perineum skin like the rest of your body, says Sperling, which means yes, using sunscreen if you plan on exposing it!
And finally, keep in mind that not only is sunburn on your butthole dangerous, but also a legit practical nightmare. Think about how painful it would be to tenderly apply aloe vera to large swaths of skin like your shoulders when they’re burnt… and now imagine suffering through life while your asshole skin peels. No thx.
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