Did you know that there are over one million new cases of skin cancer that are reported and diagnosed annually? That means one in five Americans will have skin cancer and 90 percent of those cancers are direct result of exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Tanning beds are just as damaging and the outdoor sun exposure. UV rays penetrate into the skin and can stimulate cancer cells to start growing.
To be fair, reasonable amount of sun exposure is beneficial. Natural sunlight has a tremendously positive effect on our mood and self esteem. It is also a source of Vit D production. UV exposure can be used to treat depression, psoriasis, and acne. Exposure to UV rays stimulates the skin’s production of melanin, which is very healthy because it helps to protect the skin from further damage.
However, when the tan gets too deep, it may look sexy but this is the first sign that the skin is “under attack”, it tries to protect itself at maximum level and at some point it gives up. That largely depends on your skin tone and skin condition. If you are fair and blue eye person you should never get to this point. Such exposure is going to cause major damage to your cells which will become visible in about 10 years from the first burn. With each sun burn the risk of developing skin cancer is increased by 10%. Deep tanning is never healthy even if it looks healthy.
Sunlight is a part of the electromagnetic spectrum. About 35 percent is visible light, 60 percent is infrared radiation, and 5 percent is made up of UV rays. UV wavelengths range from 200nm to 400nm and are further divided as follows:
UVC rays are blocked by ozone in the atmosphere and never reaches the earth.
UVB rays or burning rays and are the UV radiation wavelengths most responsible for causing redness while tanning. Redness or Erythema is used to measure the effectiveness of Sun Protection Factor or SPF.
An SPF 2 blocks 50 percent of UVB rays, which allows you to stay in the sun twice as long as you would be able to without any protection. Increasing the SPF increases the protection. An SPF 15 blocks 93.3 percent of UVB and an SPF of 30 blocks 96.9 percent of UVB. Notice that doubling the SPF does not double the protection it allows for longer exposure time. So the SPF 15% may protect you 93.3% for one hour, the SPF 30 will protect you 96.9% for 2 hours. So there is never a 100% protection, use caution at all times and when you feel you had too much sun use a shade as an alternative.
UVA is commonly known as “black light.” UVA penetrate the deepest. UVA contributes to chronic sun damage.
Make sure the sunscreen you use contains both UVB and UVA protection. Approved UVA sunscreens include: avobenzone, benzophenone-3, oxybenzone, octocrylene, menthyl anthranilate, butylmethoxydibenzoylmethane, and zinc oxide.
In general organic sunscreens protect the skin by absorbing the UV rays, and inorganic sunscreens physically reflect the UV rays.
Traditionally organic sunscreens may be healthier but there is a limit to what they can do for you. Don’t expose your skin to a direct light if you use the organic source of protection. FYI, even if you are driving you are exposed to the UV rays that are reflected from the windshield. If you use organic SPF you may become red quickly as the body is trying to absorb the UV rays, but if you use inorganic sunscreens your potential for skin irritation is less due to reflective factor of those SPF’s.
Important Fact: UV light or UV rays are invisible and not really light at all. They are invisible. Since you can’t see the UV rays just knowing that will require that you use sun screen even on cloudy days.
What’s the alternative to tanning? Self-tanning products simulate a beautiful tan, although they last only a few days you can reapply it every 2 days to keep the tan throughout the whole summer!
For more information about a great tanning alternative or to repair visible sun damage call Speranzi Facial Spa at 201 301 0739 or visit www.facialspa.mobi to tap and dial on the go.
