Healthy Living — These Steps to Stay Safe in the Sun
Published on Saturday, June 8, 2024 at 12:02 a.m.
Summer is here, but the facts about sunbathing can be a little confusing.
It seems like every week a new study is published that says either “The sun is bad, wear sunscreen!” or “The sun is good, you need it!”
What should we believe?
Too much exposure to the sun's warm rays can be harmful to your skin, but the right balance can have a mood-boosting effect: sunlight and darkness stimulate the release of hormones in the brain.
Sunlight exposure is thought to increase the production of a hormone called serotonin in the brain, which helps to elevate your mood and make you feel calmer and more focused.
At night, dim lighting prompts the brain to produce another hormone, melatonin, which helps people feel sleepy and fall asleep.
Simply expose your arms, hands, and face to sunlight for 5 to 15 minutes two to three times a week to reap the full vitamin D-boosting benefits of the sun.
When exposed to ultraviolet B radiation from sunlight, human skin produces vitamin D, which plays a major role in bone health.
Low vitamin D levels have been linked to rickets in children and other bone-weakening diseases such as osteoporosis (brittle bones) and osteomalacia (soft bones).
Excessive cumulative sunlight can cause skin cancer, but moderate sunlight can help prevent cancer. People who live in areas with less sunlight are more likely to develop cancer than those who live in areas with more hours of sunshine during the day.
In the right people, sunlight exposure can treat several skin conditions. Doctors recommend UV exposure to treat psoriasis, eczema, jaundice, and acne.
Phototherapy isn't right for everyone, but a dermatologist can recommend whether phototherapy may be effective for your skin concerns.
Research studies have preliminary evidence that sunlight may be a potential treatment for a variety of illnesses, including rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, inflammatory bowel disease, and thyroiditis.
But while there are many reasons to get out in the sun, the sun's rays contain ultraviolet (UV) rays, which can penetrate the skin and damage the DNA of cells.
This can cause skin cancer. The definition of overexposure to the sun depends on your skin type and how direct the sun's rays are.
In general, people with fair skin will burn faster when exposed to sunlight than people with darker skin, and they are more likely to burn if they are outdoors in direct sunlight.
People with darker skin may also suffer from severe burns and skin cancer. The heat is most intense between 10 am and 4 pm.
If you're going to be outdoors for more than 15 minutes, it's a good idea to protect your skin by applying a sunscreen with at least SPF 45.
Reapply frequently if you're going to be outdoors for a while. Wearing a protective hat and shirt also helps.
It's also very important to protect your eyes from direct and reflected sunlight by wearing sunglasses. The older you are and the lighter your eyes are, the more important eye protection is.
Use common sense and get some sun, but don't bake it because you're not a muffin. As my mom always said, “Everything in moderation.” Enjoy the sun and stay healthy, my friends.
Jody Holton writes about health for Port Arthur Newsmedia. She can be reached at jholton3@gt.rr.com.