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July Health Tip from Dr. Llorens

Summer is here and along with this come the damaging effects of too much sunlight. The sun produces invisible rays known as UVA and UVB. UVB rays produce the redness of a sunburn while UVA rays cause the wrinkles of photoaging. There are no safe UV rays. This includes tanning beds which usually use UVA lights.

Too much sun exposure can cause wrinkles, freckles, rashes, and skin cancer. Sometimes allergic reactions occur as the result of too much sun which interacts with medications, cosmetics or perfumes that you may be wearing. Chicken pox, cold sores, and some medical conditions, like systemic lupus erythematosus, can be made worse with sun exposure.

Most skin cancers occur on sun-exposed areas. The most common types of skin cancer are basal cell, squamous cell, and melanoma. Anytime you have a mole which is changing you should talk to your doctor.

When deciding on a sunscreen pick one with an SPF of 15 or greater. SPF is determined by dividing the dose of UV radiation that is required to cause a small burn on protected versus unprotected skin. For example, an SPF of 2 blocks 50% of UVB radiation while and SPF of 30 blocks 97% of UVB radiation.

If it’s possible to avoid the sun, you should. However, if sun exposure is unavoidable then try to take the following precautions:

• Stay out of the sun between 10am and 4pm when the sun’s rays are the strongest.
  
• Use a broad- spectrum sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher and apply it 15-30 minutes before going into the sunlight. An average size person requires one ounce of sun screen to adequately cover the sun-exposed areas.
  
• Wear a wide brim hat and protective clothing.
  
• Reapply sunscreen every 2 hours and after swimming or sweating excessively.

If you get a sunburn,despite all these precautions; cool compresses, emollients, topical anesthetics, and Tylenol or Ibuprofen may be helpful to relieve symptoms.

If you would like more information regarding sun exposure, skin cancer or photoaging you may visit the Academy of Dermatology website, www.aad.org.

For more information:
MU Health Sciences Library