The Sun And Your Skin

Sun can damage your skin and cause premature aging. There is enough evidence to prove that you must take care of your skin while in sun. Sun destroys the natural collagen resulting in breaking the skins elasticity. Too much of sun can even cause skin cancer.

The skin has two defenses to sunlight– First, cell division is increased so that the outer layer is built up quicker than it is shed so that it can scatter and absorb ultraviolet rays. The other is the increase in melanin due to ultraviolet rays, which is also tanning.

To tan or not to tan… is a personal choice. You must know your skin type and the kind of protection you require. People with darker skin burn less than people with lighter skin. The best tan is a pale one which gives you a light golden glow.

How to tan safely:
At the beginning you need to introduce your body to the sun gradually. You cannot get a tan in one day. Though, you will be tempted. Instead of getting a good tan you will get burned. Be slow initially. Stay for a few minutes and then gradually increase the time until you reach the maximum time for your skin.

Sunscreen:
A sunscreen allows you to stay longer in the sun. The sun protection factor (SPF) allows you to stay in the sun that much longer. So, for instance, a sunscreen with a SPF of eight should allow you to be in the sun eight times longer than you could normally, before burning. Use sunscreen with higher SPF for sensitive areas like, face neck etc and a total sun block to prevent wrinkles due to sun. You must re apply it often. Studies show that even a non- water soluble one, has also to be re applied after a few hours.

Try to avoid sun when it is at its peak, the ultraviolet rays are much shorter and therefore stronger. It burns your skin easily and quickly. Don’t be fooled by the clouds. They just diffuse the light but not the rays. Even sitting under an umbrella cannot help much.