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he suntan. The envy of friends and relatives. The bronzed lifeguard. The golden, tawny bodies on the sand. The sad truth is that sun tanning is a dangerous habit with no benefit except the elusive psychological one: looking good and healthy means feeling good and healthy. Exposure to the sun is directly and ultimately responsible for the leathery look of prematurely aged skin, wrinkles, and skin cancer – all of which are irreversible. It can also cause sun poisoning.
The serious problems caused by the sun’s rays are getting worse as a result of the thinning of the ozone layer in the earth’s atmosphere. The ozone layer normally gives us some protection from the sun, but due to aerosols, propellants, nitrogen oxides from nuclear explosions and supersonic transports, and chlorine from space shuttles, this protective layer has virtually disappeared.
The sun produces several kinds of rays. Two of the rays (Ultraviolet A – UVA) and ultraviolet B – UVB) cause most of the damage to the skin. No ultraviolet rays are safe! (There is also an Ultraviolet C ray – found in fluorescent and germicidal lamps, and Infra Red rays – emitted by light bulbs, heat lamps, space heaters, stoves and furnaces – but these rays do not play a role in the information that follows.)
The sun’s harmful rays are more intense in our summer, at high altitudes and the closer you are to the Equator. These harmful effects are increased by reflections from water, snow, sand and cement.
The following chapters describe the process behind sun tanning, how to suntan properly, and how to treat and prevent sun- poisoning.
SUN TANNING
Tanning is nothing more than the efficient, protective mechanism of the body: a response to injury from sunlight and a way to protect us from additional injury. That “healthy-looking” tan, usually associated with good health and enviable sex appeal, is, in fact, damaged skin. The best suntan is no suntan at all!
In early times, sun-tanned skin was associated with those who worked outdoors for a living – the peasants, the farmers, the serfs. People of means, those from the upper social classes and nobility, took pains to stay of the sun to preserve their natural color. Medieval beauties were admired for their indoor pallor, while the traditional fresh fairness of Englishwomen, a combination of genes, high humidity, and minimum sunlight, has been extolled by lovers and envied by other women.
Because the tanning mechanism is not 100 percent efficient, repeated sun exposure allows certain wavelengths of light to penetrate this defense barrier, causing the various sun-related skin conditions.
The more subtle changes caused by the sun’s rays may not be apparent for decades, but they do and will occur in every person who is foolish enough to expose himself or herself to excess. Therefore, the only good suntan is no suntan at all.
Compare the sun-exposed portions of your body – your face, hands, forearms – with those parts of your anatomy (your buttocks, for example) that are almost never exposed. Note the difference in smoothness and texture. Your buttocks are young; your hands and face are old. (Everyone should look at his or her buttocks in the mirror and think: This is how my face should look!)
For you fair-haired, fair-skinned, and blue-eyed people, tanning, if it does occur, is a slow process. You have much smaller pigment cells than your dark-haired, darker-skinned, brown-eyed neighbors. So you burn more easily and require infinitely more sun exposure to produce even a modest tan. If you are dark-skinned, on the other hand, merely a brief exposure to the sun often produces a lasting tan.
For you light-skinned people who, despite all admonition, still desire that bronzed look, here are a few rules:
People are classified into various skin types depending on their levels of melanin pigmentation. The simplest classification – the one I prefer – is as follows:
Depending upon the type of skin you have, there is a wide range of sunscreen products that are rated according to the degree of protection they can give against ultraviolet radiation. This rating is called the Sun Protection Factor (SPF).
This SPF is a guide and a numbering system to assess the efficacy of sunscreen agents. The number represents the number of times longer you can stay in the sun if you use the product than if you used nothing. A number 15, for example, will provide 15 times the user’s natural skin protection. In other words, let us say you are susceptible to developing mild sunburn after being out in the sun for one hour. If you apply an SPF-15 sunscreen before sunbathing, you will be able to lie out in the sun for 15 hours before developing your mild burn. (Who is going to lie out in the sun for 15 hours at a stretch? Where on this earth can anyone do that?) And you will see all kinds of SPF numbers ranging from 2 to 50!
I believe everyone – every skin type – should use an SPF-15 sunscreen. As far as I am concerned, the numbers higher than 15 are meaningless. An SPF-15 sunscreen will filter out 93 percent of the harmful UVB rays. Isn’t that enough for most individuals? When using any sun-protection product, follow the directions given by the manufacturer, and reapply it every two or three hours. Always reapply after swimming.
The best approach to sun tanning is common sense. This large envelope we call the skin has to last a lifetime, so give it the protection it deserves.
A word about those tanning salons that have sprung up all over the country. Although advertised as using the “safer” long-wave ultraviolet rays (UVA), the lamps used in these salons are fraught with the same hazards as other forms of radiation. There are definite dangers associated with repeated exposure to UVA. These ray go deeper into the skin and, in addition to the premature aging, wrinkles, the loss of elasticity, and the potential for developing skin cancer, other harmful effects may include:
In addition, there are many reported cases of people “catching” lice, scabies, herpes, fungous infections, warts, tinea versicolor, and other infectious diseases from those salons that are not strict about sanitizing their equipment.
One famous dermatologist once said, “I could never understand why people would pay to get skin cancer when they can get it free!”
Do your skin – and yourself – a favor: stay away from those artificial tanning rays.
A note about children’s skin: since children often spend many hours playing in the sun, protecting children’s skin from the sun’s harmful rays is one of the most important ways to promote their long-term health. Before sun exposure, always apply a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15 to any child’s skin over the age of 6 months. Sun protection in childhood is extremely important to prevent skin cancer later in life.
SUN POISONING
Sun poisoning is a nonscientific term that refers to a variety of sun-allergic responses. Light-skinned people, who have less protective skin pigment, are especially susceptible to sun- poisoning, but it can occur in anyone who is exposed to enough light. It often occurs in combination with a variety of drugs, chemicals, cosmetics, and plants.
The classic example of sun poisoning is sunburn. We all know that redheads suffer more from the effects of the sun’s rays than the rest of the population. This is because they lack sufficient melanin pigment in the skin – one of the main defense mechanisms against sunburn. Black people rarely suffer from sunburn because the pigment in their epidermis (the upper layers of the skin) prevents the penetration of the sunburn rays to the sensitive, deeper layers of the skin.
If you are a susceptible person, certain common drugs you may be taking can change your normal protective response to the sun. The result can be a severe rash with blisters from just the slightest exposure to sunlight or even fluorescent lighting.
Drugs most commonly involved in this type of reaction are the sulfa drugs, “relatives” of tetracycline, various tranquilizers, high blood pressure medication, birth control pills, and oral medications used for diabetes and fungous infections (ringworm).
Direct contact with certain chemicals, followed by sun exposure also can cause sun poisoning. The most common substances that cause these “sun-allergic” responses are found in deodorant bar soaps, detergents, certain suntan lotions, shampoos, “first-aid” creams, and various cosmetics and toiletries.
Even chemicals found in a variety of vegetables and fruits can cause sun-sensitive reactions. Gardeners and farmers who spend time in the sun and handle such foods as carrots, celery, parsnips, figs, and limes are especially susceptible. Sun poisoning has also been reported as a result of using herbal shampoos followed by sun exposure.
The symptoms of sun allergy are severe itching and rash that occur a few days after the combination of the chemical substance and the light. This sensitivity can be so pronounced that a minute amount of the substance left on your skin, followed by exposure even to fluorescent light, may trigger a reaction.
The treatment for sun poisoning is essentially the same as for any allergic dermatitis, such as poison ivy dermatitis. If your case is mild, use wet compresses or soothing baths followed by calamine lotion to relieve your symptoms. If your itching is more persistent, take an antihistamine. For any severe reaction accompanied by intense itching and blisters that weep and ooze, see your dermatologist. You may need treatment for dehydration and possible infection.
PREVENTING SUN POISONING
Preventing sun-sensitive reactions may take a lot of trial and error to determine which drug, chemical, or plant is the culprit. Once you have discovered it, eliminate it from your routine. If the offender is a drug that is essential for your health (high blood pressure pills or antidiabetic medications for example), you will need to stay out of the sun at all times.
If you are fair-skinned, the best way to avoid a sun-sensitive reaction is to avoid the sun. If this just is not possible, then tan slowly and cautiously.
To prevent overexposure to the sun, use a good sunscreen. Sunscreens usually contain chemicals that selectively block out or absorb all the harmful “short” ultraviolet rays, permitting some of the longer, tanning rays to get through to the skin.
A good, but cosmetically inelegant, sun-blocking preparation is plain zinc oxide ointment.
To protect the delicate areas of the lips, use a “lipstick” that contains a sun-blocking agent.
And, finally, before you go out in the sun – and who won’t? – remember to:
Slip, Slap, and Slop!
Slip on a shirt; Slap on a hat; and Slop on sunscreen!
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For further information on sun-related problems, log on to: www.aad.org 1-888-462-DERM |
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| TREATING SUN-POISONING |
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For an acute case of sun-poisoning with redness, itching, burning, and blisters, treat it the same as you would any acute rash.
If the condition is localized, use warm compresses with either
Domeboro Powder or
Bluboro Powder (Herbert)
Directions are on the package. Use as open wet dressings as described.
For a widespread sunburn, take soothing baths in one of the soothing bath oils.
A good point to remember is that sun-poisoning is similar to a burn -- a fire. Just as you would use water to put out a fire, use wet compresses or baths to get fast relief. Never use soap during this stage.
Following the compresses or baths, use either of the following creams to help relieve the itching and permit the skin to maintain its smoothness and softness:
Cort-Aid Cream
Cortizone 10
Directions: Apply every 2 or 3 hours and after your bath.
For the itching that may accompany the healing stage of sun- poisoning, take either of the following antihistamines every 4 hours when necessary:
Chlor-Trimeton Tablets
Benadryl
See directions and cautions on the label for proper dosage.
If the sunburn is painful, take aspirin every 3 or 4 hours as needed. If your sun-poisoning is severe, with a great deal of pain, huge blisters, or denuded skin, see your doctor at once.
To protect from further bouts of sun-poisoning, always use a sun protective sunscreen at least an hour before exposure to the sun.
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