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We’ve all heard the standard advice: wear your SPF 50, stay in the shade, and wear a hat. But as we move further into 2026, the conversation around skin health is shifting. We aren’t just looking at how to block the sun; we’re looking at how to make our skin fundamentally more resilient to it.
For me, this isn’t just a fitness trend; it’s personal. Having fair skin and a history of melanoma in my family, I’ve become keenly aware of the sun as I’ve gotten older. But as we see more extreme weather patterns and higher UV indices globally, I’ve started digging into the internal “shield” we can build through cellular nutrition. Specifically, I’ve been looking at two molecules that are currently taking the longevity world by storm: NMN (Nicotinamide Mononucleotide) and Nicotinamide.
The Science of NAD+ and DNA Repair
To understand why these supplements are a game-changer for skin health, we have to talk about NAD+. Think of NAD+ as the “fuel” for your cells’ repair systems. It is a coenzyme found in every living cell, responsible for everything from energy metabolism to fixing broken DNA.
Here is the catch: as we age, our NAD+ levels naturally plummet. By the time we hit our 40s, we have about half the NAD+ we had in our 20s. When our NAD+ levels are low, our skin cells lose their “repair kits.” When UV rays hit your skin and cause DNA damage, a cell with high NAD+ can often fix that damage before it turns into something dangerous. A cell with low NAD+, however, is much more likely to replicate that damage, which is the first step toward skin cancer.
Nicotinamide: The Proven Defender
Nicotinamide (a form of Vitamin B3) is currently the “gold standard” in dermatological supplementation. In late 2025, a landmark study involving over 33,000 participants confirmed what many skin cancer specialists have been saying for years: Nicotinamide can reduce the risk of new non-melanoma skin cancers by up to 54% in high-risk individuals.
While the strongest evidence is currently for non-melanoma (like basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas), the mechanism is what matters. Nicotinamide works by:
- Enhancing DNA Repair: It provides the energy needed for the “PARP” enzymes to fix UV-induced damage.
- Reducing Immunosuppression: The radiation from the sun actually “turns off” your skin’s immune system locally. Nicotinamide helps keep those immune sentinels active so they can identify and go after precancerous cells.
NMN: The Next Frontier for Melanoma and Longevity
While Nicotinamide is great, NMN is the newer, more potent cousin in the longevity space. NMN is a direct precursor to NAD+, meaning it enters your cells and converts into that precious repair fuel more efficiently than almost anything else.
In 2026, we are seeing emerging research (including some compelling mouse models) suggesting that oral NMN administration doesn’t just stop “photoaging” (wrinkles and spots); it may actually prevent tumor formation in UV-exposed skin.
For those of us with a family history of melanoma, NMN is particularly interesting because of its role in sirtuin activation. Sirtuins are a family of proteins that regulate cellular health and aging. By boosting NAD+ via NMN, we are essentially “turning on” our body’s most sophisticated defense against the cellular mutations that lead to melanoma.
Related Article: IM8s New Longevity Supplement
Fitness and Climate: Why This Matters Now
You might be wondering: “Riley, why are we talking about climate change on a fitness blog?” Because our environment is part of our fitness equation. In 2026, we are spending more time in higher-intensity environments. Whether you’re training for a HYROX race in an unconditioned warehouse or going for a run in the intensified North American sun, your internal climate needs to be able to handle the external stress.
Supporting our long-term health means looking at the big picture. We support the climate by making sustainable choices, and we support our bodies by giving them the tools to survive an increasingly extreme world. Longevity isn’t just about living to 100; it’s about being resilient enough to enjoy every year until then.
My Personal Protocol
Given my family history, I don’t treat these as “optional” extras. I view them as part of my daily “insurance policy.”
- The Baseline: I use the IM8 Daily Ultimate Essentials and their Daily Longevity Supplement, which I have talked about at length on this blog. IM8 includes foundational B-vitamins to support cellular energy.
- The Targeted Shield: For someone with high risk factors (fair skin, history of melanoma), I’ll be adding the Youth & Earth NMN supplement to my daily stack after doing a ton of research to figure out who is making the highest quality NMN supplement.
- The Synergy: These supplements work best when paired with high-antioxidant diets. Think of NMN as the “mechanic” fixing the car, and antioxidants as the “shield” preventing the car from getting hit in the first place.
A Note of Caution
As always, I am a fitness and wellness guide, not a doctor. Supplements like NMN and Nicotinamide are powerful tools, but they aren’t a replacement for your annual skin check or your bottle of sunscreen. They are a “plus-one” to your existing safety routine.
In a world where we are constantly being told what we can’t do, I find it incredibly empowering to know there are things we can do. We can fuel our repair systems. We can support our DNA. We can build a body that is as strong on the inside as it looks on the outside.
Riley Pearce 
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