www.ghchealth.com | www.oxypowder.com

Newsletter Home > Summertime Sun Tips

Suntans or Sunburns?

Sunburn is caused by one form of ultraviolet light known as UVB. The burning is actually a symptom of damage to your skin and it can lead to serious skin cancers such as melanoma and basal and squamous cell carcinoma. Therefore, logic seems to dictate-if you can prevent sunburn, you may also prevent skin cancer.

In recent years, however, scientists have learned that a different form of ultraviolet light called UVA may be just as harmful. Although experts still believe UVB is responsible for most of the skin damage caused by sunlight, UVA may be an important factor in other types of sun damage such as "photo-aging". Most sunscreens work to block UVB pretty well, but few of these products filter out UVA.

  • Both laboratory and epidemiological studies indicate that sunscreens may not block the initiation or promotion of melanoma formation," says Ronald D. Ley, Ph.D., at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine's Steve Schiff Center for Skin Cancer in Albuquerque. Studies using a fish model of melanoma induction " … suggest that the action spectrum (the defined wavelength of ultraviolet light that damages skin) for erythema induction is different than the action spectrum for … melanoma." Erythema refers to the reddening or burning of skin.
  • There are a lot of data on both sides of the question about the tanning link to melanoma," says John Lipnicki of FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER).

Now, the FDA and the scientific community have begun grappling with the thorny questions left unresolved by the initial document. Researchers will further study active ingredients and test methods to measure products' potential for blocking UVA's harmful effect on the skin. The FDA will also attempt to make the labeling clearer.

Minimize Your Risk

The common advice about protecting yourself from the harmful effects of the sun remains sound, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. The department continues efforts, launched in 1998 with its "Choose Your Cover" public education campaign, to help all Americans. Especially the young must be protected from excessive exposure to the sun to help prevent skin disorders later in life.

The recommendation is simple. To prevent premature aging, sun damage, and skin cancer, you need to protect yourself and your family from the harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun. Sunscreen alone will not protect you! You need to implement a complete skin protection program to help reduce the sun's harmful effects.

  • Generously apply a sunscreen with an SPF (sun protection factor) of at least 30 and reapply it every two hours.
  • Reapply sunscreen as needed after swimming, sweating, or towel drying.
  • Use sunscreen even on cloudy days whenever working outdoors.
  • Avoid the sun during the middle of the day (between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.) because the atmosphere deflects less of the harmful UV rays during this time.
  • If you have to be out in the midday sun, avoid long periods of direct sun exposure. Stay in the shade as much as possible.
  • Wear a wide-brimmed hat, protective clothing (such as loose fitting pants and a long-sleeve shirt allowing you to perspire easily), and high-quality sunglasses. Those cheap no-name sunglasses can increase damage to your eyes because the dark lenses dilate your eyes wide open while not blocking the harmful UVB light. Don't believe those labels suggesting "100% UV protection". If the glasses don't mention at least 95% UVB protection, don't buy them!
  • Never leave children exposed to the sun for long periods. Because cancer takes a long time to develop, studies suggest over-exposure early in life (when skin is tender and more vulnerable), may lead to higher risk of cancer later on.

A Final Word of Caution

Although industry studies show that consumer use of sunscreen products continues to improve, the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) believes consumers still do not apply the correct amount of sunscreen to achieve the full benefit.

A study sponsored by Seventeen Magazine, Beiersdorf Inc.'s Nivea® brand, and the AAD noted an increase in the use of sunscreen by teens but also found problems. Eighty-eight percent of teens spend a significant amount of time in the sun, but only 72 percent say they use sunscreen at least some of the time. Only about 40 percent of the teens say they use sunscreen often or all of the time. Young women use sunscreen more than young men (46.2 percent compared to 30.5 percent), and the reasons given for not using it include the erroneous belief that they never burn or "tan well" (30 percent), inconvenience (17 percent), or the desire for a dark tan (6 percent).

The difficulty, of course, is that teenagers won't see the effects of sun damage until they reach their forties and fifties or later. By then, however, the damage is already done!