| Sun and Skin |
| We\'ve been blessed with beautiful clear blue skies with cool temperatures for the last few months but that\'s all going to change as summer approaches. It\'s never too early to be talking about summer when it comes to skin protection. Did you know that even on a cloudy day, when you can\'t see the sun, the sun\'s rays are present - and forever attacking the skin. In fact, daily, ongoing, effective sun protection is the only way to stop wrinkles, because cumulative sun damage is the primary reason we have wrinkles! Gone are the days when protecting the skin from the sun would have meant buying any sunscreen of SPF 15 or greater, and applying it liberally and often to be sure your skin was protected. All that has changed with recently announced research regarding the difference between the sun\'s UVB and UVA radiation. We know more now about how different types of radiation affect the way we should protect our skin. What you need to know about sun protection today, and well into the millennium, can literally save your skin. The sun\'s ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is divided into three different bands: UVA, UVB and UVC. Virtually all UVC radiation is filtered out by the atmosphere and doesn\'t reach the earth, while UVB and UVA rays both reach the earth in significant amounts. UVB rays are the sun\'s burning rays, and they have an immediate harmful impact on the skin. UVA rays are the sun\'s silent killers. You don\'t feel them, but their effects are slowly at work. They are the primary cause of skin cancer and wrinkles! During the summer, the sun\'s rays are strongest between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Clouds filter some, but not most, of these rays - which is why you can still get burned on an overcast day. Different surfaces, such as water, cement, sand, snow, and even grass can reflect sunlight, inflicting a double whammy on the skin. Hats, therefore, offer only partial protection, because of the impact of this reflected light. Altitude is also a sun enhancer because for every 1,000-foot increase in altitude, the sun\'s potency increases by 4 percent. But over the years, as long as there is daylight, even if you are exposed for only a few minutes, you are getting sun damage. By the way, UVB rays can\'t get through glass, so there\'s no risk of sunburn when you sit in a car or next to a window, but that\'s the good news. The bad news is that UVA rays can get through windows, so sitting in a car or next to a window that lets daylight through offers no protection whatsoever against cumulative damage. Enjoy the sun without putting yourself at risk. Cover yourself with this information. A product\'s sunscreen protection factor (SPF), tells you how long you can stay in the sun while wearing the product without getting burnt. Here\'s how the SPF formula works: time spent in the sun x (SPF) = length of time you can stay in the sun without getting burnt. For example, if it normally takes you 20 minutes in the sun before you start turning pink, an SPF 15 product will let you stay in the sun for five hours without burning. The formula is 20 (minutes) x (SPF) 15 = 300 (minutes), or five hours. But keep in mind that that application lasts five hours only if you aren\'t swimming or perspiring. If you are active or if you get wet, you need to reapply the sunscreen again after 60 to 90 minutes. An SPF 2 blocks about 50 percent of the UVB rays; an SPF 10 filters out about 85 percent of the UVB rays; an SPF 15 stops about 95 percent; and an SPF 30 stops about 97 percent. Sunscreens do have limitations, which explains why you might still get some color despite slathering sunscreen on your skin. SPF is certainly important, but its number refers only to protection against UVB rays (the rays that cause sunburn). There are no numbers to tell you about protection from UVA radiation, which causes wrinkles and some forms of skin cancer. To learn about a sunscreen\'s UVA protection, you should check the active ingredient list to see whether zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, or avobenzone is listed. If one of these active ingredients isn\'t there, you will not be getting adequate UVA protection. Always apply sunscreen at least 15 to 20 minutes before going outside. This gives the sunscreen time to be absorbed and to spread over the skin. And you must apply it liberally. According to Dr. Saleh, a dermatologist at Zayed Military Hospital, sunscreen users usually apply only 50 percent of the recommended amount, so they are only receiving 50 percent of the SPF protection. Suffering a sunburn is bad enough, but what you may not know is that a sunburn continues to develop for 12 to 24 hours after the initial burn takes place! Treating sunburn immediately and effectively is the same as treating any other burn. Do not cover it with thick salves (thick moisturizers are the worst). These will trap the heat and cause more damage. Get the skin in contact with cool water immediately (do not put ice directly on the skin - that\'s too much cold at one time and can cause a different kind of burn on the skin). Then keep applying the cool water on and off for several hours. Sunscreen for all seasons As seasons change, remember not to be fooled by cooler days and overcast skies. Even a stroll along the Corniche on a cool day to enjoy the weather can put you at risk of sun damage. Make sunscreen a must for the rest of your life. |