Want that ideal hot body tan? Think again

Handle on Health

By Judith Allender

(Updated: Friday, April 11, 2008, 10:04 PM)

It's that time of year again. Time to seriously think about your amount of sun exposure. It's not 1959 any longer and sunbathing is not the "in" thing to do. The key to having healthy skin is to avoid sun exposure as much as possible.

Harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays are all around us. They can pass through clouds and bounce of off snow, sand and water.

They can even penetrate the water where you are swimming. If these UV rays make it to your skin they can cause many negative things.

A suntan occurs when your skin produces a pigment called melanin to protect itself. A tan is the sign of skin damage.

A sunburn is your body's immune system responding to sun damage. This burn is called erythema. Your skin becomes red, feels warm and may give your skin a burning sensation while you feel chilled. Your skin may also itch and eventually peel.

Enough years of suntans and sunburns and your skin will prematurely age looking leathery or wrinkled. Dark patches may also appear on body parts most exposed to the sun.

Precancerous lesions, small rough spots, occur.

More than 5 million people in the U.S. have them. If the damage is great the UV rays may damage the DNA of genes that control your skin cell growth. The most common cancers are basal cell and squamous cell cancers. They rarely spread to other parts of the body. Melanoma is less common however. But it can be fatal if not detected in its early stages.

You can damage your eyes from too much sun. Your closed eyelids does not protect your eyes. The damage is most often seen on the eye lens, causing cataracts. Other parts of the eye can also become damaged.

Too much sun can suppress your immune system giving you less protection from cancer and other diseases.

When all these things are listed you can see that the sun can cause some powerful damage. There are things you can do to lessen your exposure.

Sit in the shade rather than in direct sunlight.

Try to stay out of the sun between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. when the sun's rays are the strongest.

If you must be in the sun, wear long sleeves and a wide-brimmed hat.

Wear sunglasses to protect your eyes. Choose ones that protect against UV rays.

Use sunscreen regularly, everyday, all year, even when It is cloudy. The SPF should be at least 15 -- preferably 30. Use plenty, be generous as you apply it to all surfaces that will be exposed to the sun. Put it on at least 30 minutes before going outside as it needs time to soak in to be effective. Reapply every two hours and after swimming.

Damage from the sun is cumulative -- parents of babies and children especially need to follow all the above rules.

They have many years that their skin needs protecting.

Everyone should protect their skin - the body's largest organ.

Follow safety precautions regularly and stay well.