The sun protection obsession that ended with a fracture in bed

It sounds like something hard to believe, but it really happened: A 48-year-old woman from Chengdu in southwest China turned over in bed one night – and broke a bone. The reason? Excessive use of sunscreen and extreme avoidance of sunlight, which led to a severe vitamin D deficiency and a serious case of osteoporosis. When she turned over, her bones simply couldn’t withstand the pressure.

The woman, whose identity has not been disclosed, had avoided sun exposure since childhood. She almost never wore short sleeves, always applied thick layers of sunscreen when leaving the house, and was rarely exposed to direct sunlight. According to reports, the reason for this was a deep fear of tanning and an effort to maintain the lightest skin possible, in line with beauty standards in China.

Tests conducted after her hospitalization revealed that her vitamin D levels were extremely low, which led to accelerated bone mass loss and the development of severe osteoporosis.

According to Dr. Shuang, it’s possible that even the woman’s family did not suspect that these habits could cause damage—until the physical consequence became irreversible.

According to Dr. Jiang Xiaobing, head of spinal orthopedic surgery at the Second Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, these are unhealthy habits: “Today, it’s common to see people covered head-to-toe to protect themselves from the sun – and that’s really not healthy,” he warns.

“All the bones in our body regenerate every 10 years, but from age 30 we start to lose bone mass at a rate of 0.5 to 1 percent per year. Low calcium intake, lack of sun exposure, and vitamin D deficiency – all of these impair calcium absorption.”

He added that a sedentary lifestyle, smoking, and excessive drinking also contribute to bone weakening. “It’s recommended to limit drinking – no more than two cans of beer a day (5% alcohol), and especially to be careful if you’re a woman in menopause.”

The story sparked an uproar on the Chinese social network Weibo. One commenter wrote: “Unbelievable! She broke a bone just from turning over in bed?” Another wondered: “Did she also do extreme dieting on top of that? Seriously, everyone needs a little sun every day.” Another user summed it up: “Unfortunately, this reflects how society has programmed many Chinese women to prioritize pale skin over their health.”

Indeed, China’s “pale skin” culture runs deep – rooted in ancient social classes: Dark skin symbolized physical labor and toil, while pale skin was associated with delicacy, high status, and elegance. Today, that ideal translates into an entire industry of sun protection products—but also into real health damage.