Ask the Doctor
I am a 42-year-old white woman who is planning to visit Gulf Shores beaches in a few weeks. I would love to get tanned when I lie on the beaches. Is it medically safe to get exposed to prolonged sun rays?
_Would Love a Tan
Dear Would Love a Tan:
Your question is very interesting. Let us first understand more about tanning and then we will see if there is any relation to medical science.
Q: When did tanning become popular?
A: In the 1920s a fashion designer glamorized the deep tan as a status symbol and many Americans have equated tanned skin with good health, wealth, leisure time, social status, beauty and high fashion.
Q: How does tanning occur?
A: The body senses that it is being injured by UV radiation and to protect itself, it produces melanin. Melanin is the body's natural sun block, the dark pigment that skin cells produce to block out damaging rays and that cause tanning.
Q: Is it radiation from the sun that causes the damage?
A: There are two types of ultraviolet radiation, Ultraviolet A (UVA) and Ultraviolet B (UVB). UVB has long been associated with sunburn while UVA has been recognized as a deeper penetrating radiation.
Q: What happens to the skin during the radiation exposure?
A: Exposure to the sun kills skin cells and alters the function of collagen and elastin, the connective tissue in the skin. It causes blood vessels to dilate which causes redness. Days later after sunburn, a layer of skin peels off. Further damage occurs at the cellular level, when the sun hits the skin; the DNA in the skin cells gets distorted. The DNA in the cell looks like a spiral staircase. The sun causes damage to the chains, and they are no longer connected and the stairs go off at a funny angle. There is an enzyme that attempts to repair the damage.
Q: What are the dangers of tanning?
A: The immediate harm, burning, blistering, and peeling, is painful. The long term consequences of regular sun exposure and tanning skin and other body changes may appear 20 or 30 years later. This is why the skin of young people doesn't show the harmful effects.
Skin cancer is one of the long term consequences and also premature skin aging, yes, wrinkles. One end of the spectrum is freckling and the other end of the spectrum is skin cancer.
In between, you have lines, leatheriness, and precancerous changes. Again these changes may occur after the days of sunbathing have faded. UV radiation can damage the eyes as well. For maximum eye protection, people need sunglasses that ensure 95 to 100 percent blockage of both UVA and UVB radiation.
Q: Why is it that some people can tan for many years and still not show damage?
A: People who choose to tan are greatly increasing their risk of developing skin cancer. This is especially true if tanning occurs over a period of years, because damage to the skin accumulates. Premature aging of the skin will occur in everyone who is repeatedly exposed to the sun over a long time.
Q: Since most sun lamps and tanning beds emit UVA radiation, doesn't that make them safer than natural sunlight?
A: There is no such thing as a safe tan. Most sun lamps emit mainly UVA radiation and are less likely to cause a sunburn then UVB radiation from sunlight. UVA rays have a suspected link to malignant melanoma, and like UVB rays, they may be linked to immune system damage.
Q: Is there a safe way to tan?
A: There is no such thing as a safe tan. Doctors and public health officials have recommended several steps to minimize the sun's damage to the skin and eyes: a) Plan your outdoor activities to avoid the sun's strongest rays. Avoid the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. b) Wear protective covering such as broad-brimmed hats, long pants, and long-sleeved shirts to reduce exposure. c) Wear sunglasses that provide 100 percent UV ray protection. d) Wear a broad-spectrum sunscreen with sun protection factor 15 or more, which will bock both UVA and UVB when outside and reapply frequently. The Ultraviolet Index (UVI) represents the level of ultraviolet radiation reaching your area at noon. The UVI is rated on a scale from 0 to 10; the higher the number the more intense the exposure. Newspapers, TV, and radios in many cities broadcast or publish the UVI.
Having said all these, lying on the beach once in a while will not hurt you. Go and have some fun.
BY DR. BHARAT SANGANI
_Would Love a Tan
Dear Would Love a Tan:
Your question is very interesting. Let us first understand more about tanning and then we will see if there is any relation to medical science.
Q: When did tanning become popular?
A: In the 1920s a fashion designer glamorized the deep tan as a status symbol and many Americans have equated tanned skin with good health, wealth, leisure time, social status, beauty and high fashion.
Q: How does tanning occur?
A: The body senses that it is being injured by UV radiation and to protect itself, it produces melanin. Melanin is the body's natural sun block, the dark pigment that skin cells produce to block out damaging rays and that cause tanning.
Q: Is it radiation from the sun that causes the damage?
A: There are two types of ultraviolet radiation, Ultraviolet A (UVA) and Ultraviolet B (UVB). UVB has long been associated with sunburn while UVA has been recognized as a deeper penetrating radiation.
Q: What happens to the skin during the radiation exposure?
A: Exposure to the sun kills skin cells and alters the function of collagen and elastin, the connective tissue in the skin. It causes blood vessels to dilate which causes redness. Days later after sunburn, a layer of skin peels off. Further damage occurs at the cellular level, when the sun hits the skin; the DNA in the skin cells gets distorted. The DNA in the cell looks like a spiral staircase. The sun causes damage to the chains, and they are no longer connected and the stairs go off at a funny angle. There is an enzyme that attempts to repair the damage.
Q: What are the dangers of tanning?
A: The immediate harm, burning, blistering, and peeling, is painful. The long term consequences of regular sun exposure and tanning skin and other body changes may appear 20 or 30 years later. This is why the skin of young people doesn't show the harmful effects.
Skin cancer is one of the long term consequences and also premature skin aging, yes, wrinkles. One end of the spectrum is freckling and the other end of the spectrum is skin cancer.
In between, you have lines, leatheriness, and precancerous changes. Again these changes may occur after the days of sunbathing have faded. UV radiation can damage the eyes as well. For maximum eye protection, people need sunglasses that ensure 95 to 100 percent blockage of both UVA and UVB radiation.
Q: Why is it that some people can tan for many years and still not show damage?
A: People who choose to tan are greatly increasing their risk of developing skin cancer. This is especially true if tanning occurs over a period of years, because damage to the skin accumulates. Premature aging of the skin will occur in everyone who is repeatedly exposed to the sun over a long time.
Q: Since most sun lamps and tanning beds emit UVA radiation, doesn't that make them safer than natural sunlight?
A: There is no such thing as a safe tan. Most sun lamps emit mainly UVA radiation and are less likely to cause a sunburn then UVB radiation from sunlight. UVA rays have a suspected link to malignant melanoma, and like UVB rays, they may be linked to immune system damage.
Q: Is there a safe way to tan?
A: There is no such thing as a safe tan. Doctors and public health officials have recommended several steps to minimize the sun's damage to the skin and eyes: a) Plan your outdoor activities to avoid the sun's strongest rays. Avoid the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. b) Wear protective covering such as broad-brimmed hats, long pants, and long-sleeved shirts to reduce exposure. c) Wear sunglasses that provide 100 percent UV ray protection. d) Wear a broad-spectrum sunscreen with sun protection factor 15 or more, which will bock both UVA and UVB when outside and reapply frequently. The Ultraviolet Index (UVI) represents the level of ultraviolet radiation reaching your area at noon. The UVI is rated on a scale from 0 to 10; the higher the number the more intense the exposure. Newspapers, TV, and radios in many cities broadcast or publish the UVI.
Having said all these, lying on the beach once in a while will not hurt you. Go and have some fun.
BY DR. BHARAT SANGANI
