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More than 1 million new cases of skin cancer are diagnosed each year in the United States and over 10,000 people will die from the disease each year. This number hits even closer to home when you consider that almost one in five Americans is expected to develop some type of skin cancer in his or her lifetime, according to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD). Once only a concern during the summer months, tanning is now a year-round skin danger with the thinning of the ozone layer and the abundance of artificial tanning salons. The two primary types of ultraviolet (UV) radiation are UVA rays (which deeply penetrate the skin and cause the most genetic damage) and UVB rays (the "burning" rays). The National Institutes of Health and the World Health Organization report that both UVA and UVB rays can cause cancer. Damaging UVA rays and UVB ultraviolet rays slip through your windows and even a healthy jog around the block can wreak havoc on your skin, as the cellular damage from UV radiation accumulates over time. But the prime culprit behind most cases of skin cancer is sun damage from tanning. What is Tanning? Many people assume that a tan protects them, when in fact a tan is actually a sign of skin damage. Tanning is the skin’s reaction to UV radiation from the sun or an artificial tanning bulb. When skin is exposed to UV rays, it tries to protect itself by producing a brown pigment called melanin, which darkens the cells of the outer layer of skin (epidermis). Tanning is your skin’s imperfect defense mechanism against further damage, and darker tans cause the most permanent damage. UV rays damage the DNA of your skin cells and even though your body repairs a lot of the damage successfully, over time the leftover damage can lead to cellular mutations that cause skin cancer. Ongoing, unprotected UV exposure can also age the skin, causing wrinkles, sagging and brown spots. UV radiation is also a major cause of cataracts, a clouding of the lens of the eye. Some people have the mistaken impression that tanning the skin is healthier than getting sunburned, but both cause DNA damage to the skin cells, which isn't immediately apparent. According to the National Institutes of Health, by the time a person sees and feels sunburn (about six to eight hours after sun exposure), it is too late. Permanent damage is a delayed effect that takes years to show up, and damage from tanning accumulates over time. Sunburn has been definitively linked to melanoma, a deadly type of skin cancer. Some research shows that experiencing just one sunburn can more than double your risk of developing melanoma. Continued › |
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Health & Wellness Articles › Look as Good as You FeelSun Protection Tips for Healthy SkinGet the Facts about Tanning, Sunscreen, and More-- By Leanne Beattie, Health & Beauty WriterSparkPeople advertisers help keep the site free! Learn more
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About The Author
Leanne Beattie
A freelance writer, marketing consultant and life coach, Leanne often writes about health and nutrition. See all of Leanne's articles. |
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Member Comments
- 2/21/2013 5:05:12 PM
Google sunscreen clothing and you'll come up with reputable clothing companies. The one I use is fabulous! Hats, gloves, even sleeves only to use when driving, skirts, swimwear - the list is endless. - 10/17/2012 9:34:59 AM
http://breaking
news.ewg.org/
2011sunscreen/ - 6/28/2011 12:55:06 PM
You don't have to spend a lot of money to get a decent sunscreen as you'll find if you watch this 2011 video about the recent Consumer Reports sunscreen rankings: http://www.ivilla
ge.com/best-s
unscreens-201
1/4-h-359633?
dst=iv%3AiVil
lage%3Abest-s
unscreens-2011-359633
And if you are wanting to avoid the greasy feel of sunscreens, you can find those, too. I like Neutrogena. http://www.viewpo
ints.com/Non-
Greasy-Sunscreen
And Avon has a product that is both a bug repellant and a sunscreen.
Don't forget that many lotions and make-up foundations and powders now include some sunscreen protection. And you don't have to spend lots of money. This site lists eight inexpensive make-up brands with sunscreen:
http://www.asso
ciatedcontent
.com/article/
816447/what_i
s_the_best_ma
keup_foundation.html?cat=69
The upside is that if you take care of your skin you'll be one of the wrinkle-free people later in life! - 6/28/2011 9:38:52 AM
You can get vitamin D from other sources than the sun. Fair-skinned folks can get their daily dose of Vitamin D with a few minutes in the sun. Others may only need 15 minutes in the sun.
See http://health.usn
ews.com/healt
h-news/family
-health/heart
/articles/200
8/06/23/time-
in-the-sun-ho
w-much-is-needed-for-vitamin-d
The rest of the time plan to use sunscreen.
The Canadians put together a very effective video: "Dear 16-year-old Me." Some of us already made mistakes in our youth regarding sunburn, etc. We can prevent this problem in our children and grandchildren. Go to:
http://www.yout
ube.com/watch
?v=_4jgUcxMezM - 6/28/2011 9:20:15 AM
ld daughter has an appointment to see a skin specialist next month because she has possible skin cancer showing up in the form of what looks like a bruised toenail on both big toes. Scaring the living daylights out of us waiting for that appointment. She has been an avid "tanning bed" tanner for several years. Don't risk your life over a stupid tan, people! - 10/2/2010 10:24:28 PM