SKIN CANCER AND AGEING PROTECTION

People still ignore the warnings and carry on sunbathing because they enjoy the sun and a tan makes them feel good. Exposure to the sun is not good for us because there is evidence that the sun causes permanent damage to our skin that leads to skin ageing and skin cancer. There are many ways to protect your skin with UV protective clothing and high factor SPF sunscreens.
 
The Mediterranean style of sun management is to stay out of the sun in the middle of the day when the sun is low in the sky and more dangerous for our skin. If they sit in the shade during this time, usually between 11-2, they wear protective clothing and use a high factor sunscreen. The sun can be enjoyed at other times using sun protection sensibly. Bearing in mind that the sun is stronger in the middle of the day but it is hotter around 4 o'clock in the afternoon, they still enjoy the warmth of the sun.

Fair skins are far more at risk from the sun and suffer from strong UV exposure. When the sun is higher in the sky the damaging UVB (burning) and UVA (ageing) rays cause less damage to the skin.

It does not mean that we can never enjoy the sun but we must be sensible and think about what times times of the day we sit in the sun and how much skin protection we use.  

 
  UV Protective Clothing

Until 60 years ago wearing hats was common and you rarely saw anyone sunbathing on the beach. Now, partly due the the advent of air travel, we are exposing ourselves to more summer sun and are putting ourselves at risk.

Wearing a hat, particularly around the middle of the day, is sensible, especially if, because of thinning hair, your head is liable to suffer sunburn. A hat with a large brim will also protect your face.

Loose fitting cotton clothing to protect your arms, back, shoulders and legs is necessary protection. If you are swimming or doing water sports such as sailing or windsurfing, a tee shirt or something similar will give you some protection. We are always more at risk from burning when close to water and wet clothing offers little or no protection at all.

There is a  specially designed beach wear range to be found in the shops with a high SPF number stamped on them. They can be bought in adult and children's sizes and provide the same amount of UV protection whether they are wet or dry.

If you are looking for skin cancer and ageing protection, the following links may also be of interest to you: see also mosquito bite preventatives

 

Types of sunscreen

Suncreens come in creams, mousses, sprays and lotions and are all designed to stop UV radiation from damaging the skin. They all reduce the risk of skin ageing and skin cancer too. The more powerful ones are called sunblocks and are usually white creams because they contain zinc and titanium oxide and they reflect the sunlight from the skin.

There are also water resistant products to protect you if you are swimming.

The sun protection factor SPF number indicates the level of sun protection of combined UVA and UVB rays. Some countries do not use this dual protection factor and although it is best to have protection against both, UVB is the most important.

The higher the number, the better protection of the UVB protection. The more stars indicates the higher protection of the UVA protection. So a sunscreen with SPF 30 and ****(4 star rating) will be the best in reducing skin damage.

It is not necessary to burn before the skin can suffer enough damage to increase the chance of skin cancer and premature ageing.

Some people think that sunscreen is supposed to increase the amount of time they can spend in the sun safely without burning but this might not be enough to prevent the offset of ageing and skin cancer chances in the future.

 
 
Try searching on the Internet for "skin cancer and ageing protection" and you will be amazed just how many pages are on offer. Try it for yourself by hitting the search button below!