Isn’t the sun lovely? Don’t you want to just go bask in it? Strip down and soak it up? Tempting, isn’t it? In fact, I can see some of you right now. There’s a guy playing Frisbee, his fish-belly pale chest flashing in the sun. There’s a gal lying on a towel with her bare back slowly turning pink like a lobster on the boil.
I wince. You’ll both be sorry tomorrow.
People have worshipped the sun from the beginning of time, assigning it the status of a god and creating myriad myths around it. The sun powers our planet, turns leaves green and grows trees tall. It can uplift your mood, bake out a cold or give you that healthy pink glow. But there can be too much of a good thing. Dangers of excess sun exposure range from sunburn to skin cancer, with premature skin aging in between.
Sunlight has three kinds of ultraviolet light in it. UVA is the major player. It can penetrate human skin and is responsible for most skin damage. UVB is mostly absorbed by the ozone layer over the Earth, and what gets through doesn’t penetrate us as deeply as UVA, but it can still be damaging. UVC is killer stuff but fortunately does not get through the ozone.
So when you are looking for sunscreen, find one that says “wide spectrum” and protects from both UVA and UVB. A Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of 30 is recommended by the American Academy of Dermatology for daily use.
Sunburn is painful, whether it is just redness (first degree) or blisters (second degree). Short term effects, usually starting the next day, are tenderness and pain at the site. You with the Frisbee: try aloe vera gel on that burn tomorrow.
A late effect of blistering sunburn, up to decades later, is an increased risk of skin cancer.
There are three types of skin cancer, based on three types of skin cells: squamous cells, basal cells and melanocytes.
Squamous cells make up most of the epidermis, or outer layer of skin. Squamous cell cancer looks like a rough, skin-colored or reddish raised patch. This kind of cancer is usually not fatal and can be stopped by destroying the cancer locally.
Basal cell cancer is a cancer of the layer of cells just under the squamous cells. Basal cells make up the base of the epidermis.
This cancer looks like a firm, pearly grey bump, sometimes with a dimple or blood vessel in it. It is treated by surgically removing it.
Melanoma is the big, bad, ugly of skin cancers. It is named for the cell type from which it arises, just like the others.
Melanocytes produce melanin, the compound that gives color to our skin. Melanocytes are tucked in between basal cells in the epidermis, and a bunch of them together is called a mole.
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Melanomas often arise in already existing moles. A melanoma can dive deep and spread, and can be deadly. This cancer is the reason we tell you to keep an eye on your moles. If a mole changes color, shape or size, it could be undergoing a malignant transformation from mole to melanoma.
Sun can damage your eyes, too. It can cause photokeratitis, which is basically sunburn of the eyes, a painful but thankfully temporary condition. Too much UV exposure over the long haul can be much more dangerous, causing cataracts, retinal damage and cancer of the eyelids. It can also cause an unsightly buildup of tissue in the corner of the eye, called a pinguiculum or a pterygium.
If you are going to be out in the sun, protect your eyes with sunglasses and a hat. Ophthalmologists recommend sunglasses that block out 99 to 100 percent of both UVA and UVB radiation, screen out 75 to 90 percent of visible light and have gray lenses for proper color recognition.
Tanning beds are not a safe alternative to sunbathing. They mostly emit UVA and have all the same risks as UVA from the sun. They can cause burns, cancer, premature skin aging and eye damage. Injuries from tanning beds and lamps account for more than 3,000 emergency room visits every year. Furthermore, I have seen some yucky fungal infections from improperly cleaned tanning beds. The FDA advises against tanning beds and lamps altogether.
What about vitamin D? asks the woman on the towel. Isn’t the sun on my back making vitamin D, and isn’t that good for me? Yes and yes, but read on.
Most of us are deficient in this powerful vitamin that does everything from improve immunity to fighting cancer. We can make it in our own skin, with the help of sunlight. Unfortunately, the amount of sunlight that is needed to make enough vitamin D is, in most cases, more sunlight than is safe. Ask your doctor about vitamin D supplements.
If you want to know how dangerous the sun is on any given day, you can look up the day’s UV index. This is a number that the Environmental Protection Agency has come up with as a way to predict the risk from ultraviolet radiation. This value will vary from place to place and day to day.
The numbers range from 1 to 11 and higher means more radiation. For example, in Albuquerque yesterday, the UV Index was 10, a severe rating. You can find the daily UV Index at www.epa.gov/sunwise/uvindex
There is no nicer feeling than warm sun on an upturned face. I’m not suggesting you become a cave fish. Just be careful. For maximum protection, use sunscreen with SPF 30, wear a hat and clothes to cover and avoid the time of day when the sun is high.
If you see changes on your skin, come in to the SHAC and get checked, or call 277-3136 for an appointment.
Peggy Spencer is a student-health physician. She is also the co-author of the book 50 ways to leave your 40s. Email your questions directly to her at pspencer@unm.edu. All questions will be considered anonymous, and all questioners will remain anonymous.
