Lifestyle Choices

These are the basic rules that really do help to protect you:

1 Don’t roast yourself

However tempting it might be, don’t ever lie in the sun. And always stay near trees for shade or an umbrella (preferably dark and tightly woven). Do remember that indoor “palefaces” who quick-roast themselves in the sun on a two-week vacation can measurably increase their risk of skin cancer..

2 Beware of hidden sun

Guard against passive exposure to the sun. Experts emphasize that it’s the 10 and 20 minute spurts of unprotected sun exposure — going to work, taking your children to school, running errands in your lunch break, for example — that take their destructive toll on skin over the years.

3 Mind the midday madness

Avoid the sun as much as possible during the peak radiation hours of 10am-4pm. Follow the “Shadow Rule”: If your shadow is shorter than you are, the sun is directly overhead and you should be indoors. Arrange your children’s playtime so that they are indoors during these hours.

4 Always use protective sunscreen

Use a protective sunscreen all year round. Apply liberally 15-30 minutes before exposure and re-apply every two hours when you are in the sun.

5 Keep the cover on

Always keep covered up! Wear a wide-brimmed hat, long-sleeved shirts and trousers (pants) or a beach robe in the direct sun. Lightweight, lightly colored, tightly woven cotton clothing is best for sur protection (they reflect some UVA and B) and for comfort. Be aware that loosely woven or see- through fabrics do not protect from the sunlight, and that wet, clinging bathing suits are often transparent to harmful ultraviolet radiation. Generally, when fabrics are wet, their protection is decreased.

6 Shelter the kids

Keep your children under wraps. The tender skin of babies and young children is especially vulnerable to sunburn. Keep very young infants off the beach and older babies covered up in the shade. Begin using sunscreen on children at six months, then allow sun exposure only with moderation. Your young children won’t know the difference in their early years, but they will certainly benefit from your sun-care for the rest of their lives.

7 Sunglasses are cool

Always protect your eyes! Wear dark sunglasses whenever you are outside in sunlight. When you’re buying sunglasses, make sure you spot the ones that give the protection you need.

8 Tanning salons

Tanning salons should really be avoided. Some salons promise a “safe” tan from UVA, the “black light” of UVA rays alone, but this is not true. You learned above that UVA radiation causes damage to the deep layer of your skin, destroying the structural proteins collagen and elasting and impairing the immune system of the skin, enhancing cancer risk. Furthermore, it is this UVA which activates phototoxicities and also photoallergies.

If you are taking even a common medication that is photosensitizing, you could get a severe burn from just a short exposure to UVA. Moreover, tanning lamps often emit doses of UVA far higher than is found in sunlight — and some may also emit UVB rays.

9 There are supplements

Some vitamin and mineral supplements available from health stores do help to protect your skin from the sun’s radiation. They work by helping your body’s natural protective systems kill the activated “free radicals” that form when the ultraviolet light hits your skin.

Taking vitamin E (400 IU per day of d- -tocopheryl acetate or succinate) is like having a sunscreen of about SPF4. (Check with your pediatrician to see if a small dosage is recommended for your child.)

Also, the essential trace mineral selenium decreases skin damage after sun exposure. I have found that an adult with a history of excessive sun exposure would benefit from taking 50 to 200 micrograms a day of selenium, which can be purchased from health food stores in the form of L-selenomethione or brewer’s yeast. Children under 10 years old should not be given selenium since many trace minerals may alter dental enamel during the period of tooth formation, increasing susceptibility to decay.

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