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Acne |  Aging Skin |  Fungal Infections |  Ingrown Nails |  Photo Aging |  Rushes |  Rosacea |  Skin Cancer |  Sun Burns | Scars | 

Sun Burns

    Sunlight has a profound effect on the skin causing premature skin aging, skin cancer, and a host of skin changes. Exposure to ultraviolet light, UVA or UVB, from sunlight accounts for 90% of the symptoms of premature skin aging. Many skin changes that were commonly believed to be due to aging, such as easy bruising, are actually a result of prolonged exposure to UV radiation.

We all need some sun exposure; it\'s our primary source of vitamin D, which helps us absorb calcium for stronger, healthier bones. But it doesn\'t take much time in the sun for most people to get the vitamin D they need, and unprotected exposure to the sun\'s ultraviolet rays can cause skin damage, eye damage, immune system suppression, and even cancer. Even people in their 20s can develop skin cancer.

Most people rack up between 50% and 80% of their lifetime sun exposure before age 18, so it is important that parents teach their children how to enjoy fun in the sun safely. With the right precautions, you can greatly reduce your child\'s chance of developing skin cancer.

The depth of a burn determines its severity. First degree burns damage the outer layer of skin (epidermis) and cause pain, redness and swelling (erythema). Second degree burns damage the epidermis and the inner layer, the dermis, causing erythema and blistering. Damage from third degree burns extend into the hypodermis, causing destruction of the full thickness of skin with its nerve supply (numbness). Third degree burns leave scars and may cause loss of function and/or sensation.

Facts About Sun Exposure
The sun radiates light to the earth, and part of that light consists of invisible ultraviolet (UV) rays. When these rays reach our skin, they cause tanning, burning, and other skin damage. There are three kinds of UV rays: UVA, UVB, and UVC. What\'s important is to protect your family from exposure to UVA and UVB, the rays that cause skin damage.

UV rays react with a chemical called melanin that\'s found in most people\'s skin. Melanin is your first defense against the sun. It absorbs dangerous UV rays before they do serious skin damage. Melanin is found in different concentrations and colors; the darker your natural skin color, the more melanin your skin has to protect itself. As the melanin increases in response to sun exposure, the skin tans. But even that "healthy" tan may be a sign of sun damage. The risk of damage increases with the amount and intensity of exposure. Those who are chronically exposed to the sun, such as farmers, boaters, and sunbathers, are at much greater risk.

A sunburn develops when the amount of UV exposure is greater than what can be protected against by the skin\'s melanin. The lighter your child\'s skin, the less melanin it has to absorb UV and protect itself. And all skin, no matter what color, responds to continued sun exposure by thickening and hardening, resulting in leathery skin and wrinkles later in life.

Unprotected sun exposure is even more dangerous for people with moles on their skin (or whose parents have a tendency to develop moles), very fair skin and hair, or a family history of skin cancer, including melanoma. You should be especially careful about sun protection if your child has one or more of these high-risk characteristics.

Not all sunlight is "equal" in UV concentration. The intensity of the sun\'s rays depends upon the time of year, as well as the altitude and latitude of your location.

UV rays are strongest during summer. Remember that the timing of this season varies by location; if you travel to a foreign country during its summer season, you\'ll need to pack the strongest sun protection you can find.

Extra protection is also required near the equator, where the sun is strongest, and at high altitudes, where the air and cloud cover are thinner, allowing more damaging UV rays to get through the atmosphere. Even during winter months, if your family goes skiing in the mountains, be sure to apply plenty of sunscreen;

Connection between Sun Burn and Skin Cancer

There are four basic skin types. A person with type 1 skin never tans at all and a person with type 4 wouldn\'t normally get sunburned at all. They have not used black skinned people in the experiments because the person would have to sit still and be irradiated for so long. If the fabric has an FPF of 20 they would need to sit against the template for 20 times the period of time that it takes to get redness on their skin normally. This could mean that a person with black skin would have to be constantly sitting there for 2 hours. Also it is difficult to see redness with black skin. They tend to test people with type 1 to 3 skin, type 3 being someone who tans more readily than they burn. They, therefore cannot be sure the same protectiveness would occur in black skin. However, since black people are less prone to skin cancer there is less incentive to test them. For example Aboriginals are much less susceptible to skin cancer than white people. Indians are reasonably susceptible but skin cancer is very rare in black skinned populations.

Both sunburn and skin cancer depend on UV radiation dose. In animal tests the greater the dose they are exposed to the more tumours they get. Similar experiments can not be done on humans for ethical reasons but some evidence exists that the same holds true for humans. The best study for this was a comparative study of Anglo Saxon men who did their war service in the tropics versus those who did their war service in Europe during the second world war. There was a statistically significant increase in the tumours in the first group. So it is assumed, based on that work that the more UV you get the more tumours you¹re likely to get and it is certainly true in mice.

As noted in the previous section the relationship between redness and skin cancer is not really known. “You can certainly induce tumours in rodents without inducing redness. You can repeatedly irradiate them without them going red, giving them doses that aren¹t enough to burn them. So it is possible that a fabric or sunscreen that stops you getting red, mightn¹t stop you getting tumours,” Walker points out that “This is one of the unknowns. It is worthwhile making the point that the research is not all cut and dried.”

However the wavelengths of light that cause redness overlap with and are very similar to the wavelengths which cause cancers. For this reason the researchers say that if fabrics are reducing the amount of UV a person is getting then that person has less chance of getting a tumor.

TIPS ON AVOIDING SUNBURN

• Avoid the strongest rays of the day - stay out of the sun between 10AM - 3PM.

• Wear a wide brim hat and sit under a tree/umbrella when possible.

• Cover up - make sure that clothes help screen out harmful UV rays by placing your hand inside the garment and making sure you can\'t see your hand through it. (Did you know that a wet T-shirt only has an SPF of around 4?)

• Use sunscreen consistently and correctly - use it whenever you\'re in the sun, apply it generously at least 30 minutes before sun exposure and apply every two hours, particularly if swimming or perspiring.

• Wear protective eyewear - purchase sunglasses with labels ensuring that they provide 100% UV protection.

• Check with your doctor or pharmacist to see if any prescription or over-the-counter medications you are taking increase your sensitivity to the sun - e.g. certain antibiotics, antihistamines, etc.

DO:

• Take cool baths or apply cool compresses for 10 to 15 minutes several times a day.

• Drink plenty of water to replace fluid loss.

• Use an over-the-counter pain-relieving product, such as Dermoplast® Pain Relieving Spray, to ease itch and pain on contact. This spray provides a painless, no-touch application to even hard to reach areas, like the backs of the knees or the middle of the back.

• Call a healthcare provider if there are signs of shock, faintness, dizziness, rapid pulse, blistering, rapid breathing, increased thirst, pale skin, eye pain, nausea, fever, chills or rash.

• Over time, pay attention to signs of skin cancer. If you notice any changes in your skin, see your healthcare provider.