Some sunlight is good for you, but too much exposure to UVR and you can pay a heavy price.
* Tanning: A suntan may seem desirable, but in fact it’s a sign of skin damage. A natural tan does give a bit of sun protection, but only about SPF 4. Solarium tans provide even less protection.
* Premature aging: Ongoing tanning can lead to your skin aging prematurely — becoming dry and wrinkled — and may lead to skin cancers
* Sunburn is like any burn, painful and damaging to your skin. If you notice sunburn appearing on your skin, it’s too late to start slapping on sunscreen — the damage is already done. Get out of the sun and drink plenty of water in case you’ve become dehydrated too. If the burn is painful, bathe it in cool water. Apply moisturiser or a sunburn treatment to the affected areas. For severe sunburn, or if you feel faint or nauseous, get medical help immediately
* Skin cancer: The worst possible result of too much sun. There are three main types:
o basal cell carcinoma
o squamous cell carcinoma
o melanoma.
Of these, melanoma is the deadliest and can spread quickly. Skin cancer comes not just from the damage done to skin by UVR, but also from the way UVR suppresses your immune system, weakening your defences against cancer.
Although detection and treatment of skin cancer has greatly improved in the last 20 years, around 1300 Australians still die each year from skin cancer. Check your skin regularly for suspicious spots, such as non-healing sores, red or pale lumps, or a mole or freckle that changes colour or size. If you find any suspicious spots, ask your doctor about them.
This article last reviewed October 2005
Protecting yourself
It's not hard to protect yourself from sunburn. Sunscreen, the right clothing, a hat and sunglasses and a bit of common sense are all you need.
Time of day
* Keep out of the sun between 10 am and 2 pm (or 11 am and 3 pm during daylight saving)
* Stay in the shade. But watch out for reflected UVR: indoor or grassy areas generally have less reflected UVR and therefore give better protection than areas with bright reflective surfaces like concrete, sand, snow or water
* Clouds absorb or scatter some UVR, but not all of it. You can still get sunburnt on cool or cloudy days
* Watch the UV index on weather reports as a guide to how much sun protection you'll need each day.
Sunscreens
* SPF 30+ is best; it blocks about 97% of the sun's rays
* Broad-spectrum sunscreens protect you against both UVA and UVB, ordinary sunscreens against UVB only
* Water-resistant sunscreens are important if you're swimming, because UVR penetrates water for up to a metre. Reapply the sunscreen every two hours and after each swim (you're likely to towel some of it off anyway)
* Use enough. There's reasonable evidence that a lot of people don't. About six teaspoons (30 mL) are needed for your whole body so if your head, neck, arms and legs (and maybe midriff) are all bared to the sun on a normal day you'll need a good proportion of that amount. It's a good idea to apply it once on the bits that aren't under clothing 20 minutes before you plan to go out and once again just before you go. You'll get better coverage, probably be using more like the right amount and be giving time for the sunscreen to interact and bond with your skin. Don't rub it into your skin; it should glide on like a coat of paint
* Store your sunscreen in a cool place, as it can lose effectiveness if left somewhere hot like a car's glovebox for long periods. Throw away sunscreens that are past their expiry date, or that have gone gluggy or separated. The active ingredient may still be OK, but it may not spread evenly on your skin, which could result in patchy sunburn
* Don't forget your lips: sunscreen can wear off them quickly. Alternatives are a lip balm with a high SPF or a thick zinc or titanium oxide sunblock
* Manufacturers of sunscreens of SPF 4 or over have to be licensed by the Therapeutic Goods Administration and demonstrate that their products meet the claimed SPF, so you can be pretty confident that any SPF 30+ broad-spectrum sunscreen will do the job. Choose according to price and your personal preference
* Sunscreens are quite safe, but young kids and people with sensitive skin may benefit from a low-irritant version.
Clothing
* Medium-weight clothing will protect the areas it covers. Clothes that are too lightweight or have worn thin won't give good protection. Light colours let more light through than dark colours unless the material is thick enough to ensure the light is mostly reflected. So dark-coloured fabric usually provides better UV protection. But don't worry about this too much; a good medium or heavyweight white T-shirt, for example, will still protect your back
* To protect yourself in the water, wear a shirt while swimming, but if it goes transparent when wet it'll be less protective. Consider special high-UPF swimwear, designed to be sunproof even in the water. (UPF is the clothing equivalent of SPF: for more see UPF.)
* A broad-brimmed hat or legionnaire-style cap with a neck-drape, or even a scarf around your head and neck, will help protect your face and neck.
Sunglasses
* Your eyes can also be damaged by long-term exposure to UVR, so put on a good pair of sunglasses along with your shirt, hat and sunscreen
* Look for sunglasses labelled general-purpose or specific-purpose with traditional brown or grey lenses (rather than fashion or unlabelled sunglasses), as these offer the best UV protection
* Ideally choose larger lenses: at least as big as a 20 cent coin with a wraparound style to cover the top and sides of your eyes
* Normal prescription glasses (especially those with polycarbonate plastic lenses) give some UV protection, but for maximum protection consider getting prescription sunglasses as well. Alternatively, have your usual glasses treated with a clear UV-protective coating
Nutrition
* There's evidence to suggest that a low-fat, high-fibre diet with plenty of vegetables and fruit and not too much red meat reduces the risk of certain types of cancer, and of course it'll help keep you healthy generally. However, connections between nutrition and skin cancer in particular aren't well understood, though one study has suggested that vitamin A may help reduce melanoma risk in some people.
CHOICE - Sun safety
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