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FUN IN THE SUN
By Jane Kilian, M.D.Our summer season is perfect for outdoor activities, offering plenty of time to have fun in the sun. I encourage you to be outside: play, garden, swim, bike, and walk, whatever. Moving everyday activities outside makes them more enjoyable. Plan time for a favorite hobby, and try taking it outside. Your backyard or a local park is a great place to knit, read, write letters, or picnic with a friend. Even doing laundry can seem fun if you sit at your picnic table while sorting and folding. Use the summer breezes to dry your sheets and towels. . . and then enjoy the wonderful smell of fresh air brought inside.
While you relish the warmth of summer, remember to protect yourself from the sun. The rays that penetrate and damage your skin are ultraviolet A and B (UVA and UVB). UVA makes skin wrinkled, leathery, saggy and brown spotted. UVB causes sunburn and increases the risk of developing certain skin cancers.
The intensity of the suns radiation varies with the time of year, altitude, and geographic location. Here in Minnesota, we need to avoid prolonged sun exposure between 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Reflective surfaces (water, white sand, snow) also intensify the sun’s rays. Even on cloudy days you can receive enough radiation to cause a sunburn.
Your skin contains a chemical called melanin which absorbs the sun's radiation to protect your skin from sun damage. Dark-skinned people have more melanin than light-skinned folks. As you are exposed to the sun, melanin increases, causing you to tan. If you have too much sun exposure you become sunburned.
You can protect yourself with sunscreen, clothing, umbrellas and sunglasses. SPF ratings tell you how long you can be in the sun without burning. An SPF rating of 15 means that you can be in the sun 15 times longer than if you didn’t have the protection. So if you normally bum in 10 minutes, if you use a sunscreen with an SPF of 15, you could be outside for 150 minutes (2 1/2 hours) without burning. A sunscreen must contain zinc oxide or titanium dioxide in order to protect you from both UVA and UVB.
It is best to apply your sunscreen 1/2 hour before going out in the sun. If you are sweating or in the water, take time to reapply your sunscreen at least every 1 1/2 hours. Don't skimp - cover yourself thoroughly and ask for help covering places you cannot reach. Use at least one ounce of sunscreen (the volume of a shot glass) to cover your body.
We receive most of our dangerous sun exposure before the age of 18, so it is really important to be diligent about protecting your children with sunscreen. For infants under 6 months it is better to shade them, or protect them with clothing than to use chemical sunscreens (unless you can find one labeled safe for infants).
If you do become sunburned, be sure to keep yourself well-hydrated as you heal. Drink lots of water. Apply cool, wet compresses to your skin. Use moisturizing lotions, but avoid anything with fragrance because you could have an allergic reaction on your tender skin. Pure aloe vera can be soothing. Plain white vinegar applied to your skin helps to reduce the redness and the pain. Acetaminophen or ibuprofen can help with the pain as well.
If your skin blisters ... do not pop the blisters. If the skin breaks you are more likely to get an infection. If you are feeling quite ill, have a fever, or your skin looks infected, see your doctor. About a week after a burn, you might have peeling skin. Resist the urge to pull off the skin. Underneath it is tender, young skin that is vulnerable to infection.
Overexposure to the sun can lead to skin cancers. The American Academy of Dermatology gives us the following ABCD warning signs of skin cancer. Check your moles:
Asymmetry. One half of the mole looks different from the other half.
Border. The border of the mole is irregular, scalloped or poorly defined.
Color. Color varies from one area to another within the mole.
Diameter. The mole is larger than 1/4 inch across (or larger than a pencil eraser).
If any of your moles concern you see your doctor. Have fun in the sun, but do so safely.
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