The Sun: Our Friend or Foe?

The best lessons in life are those we learn from our own experiences...

Before I went into the skin care field, I lived in a hot area and was obsessed, like many others, with sunbathing. I used to lay hours under the sun waiting to have a bronzed, dark-tanned skin; what I believed then to be every woman's passport to beauty and attractiveness. At the time, I was ignorant of the horrible skin-damaging and cancer-promoting effects of sun exposure on the skin.

To make things worse, I did not use sunscreens, simply because sun protection was not a common practice, nor the talk of the town, as it is today, and tanning salons were the hottest trend in beauty.

Obviously, after few years of such practice, I got the skin damage I deserved, although "luckily' most of it was repairable, and I got along with it; my first lesson in Beauty: Overexposure to the sun is the number one cause for premature skin aging and skin cancer.

What a shocker!

Does this mean that the sun; our health's best friend, can also be our skin's worst enemy if we abuse our exposure to it? Unfortunately, the answer is a big YES.

But, what about all the following sun facts:

• Without the sun plants will not grow, we will live in sever coldness and darkness, and life will not continue?
  
  
• People of primitive civilizations worshiped the sun as their God for its burning power.
  
  
• The first Man utilized the sun's rays to make fires to cook his food.
  
  
• Through history, man learned that the sun is a great healer, and sick people were advised to get some sun to warm up their blood, tissues and bones.
  
  
• The same advice is given today, to those who suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder "SAD" or what is known as the "winter blues"; that causes symptoms like fatigue, craving carbohydrates, irritability, sleeping more and a change of personality in winter from what it is in summer.
  
  
• Today, solar energy is turned to electrical power that can be used in our daily lives.
  
  
• Besides making us feel; better and energized and giving us a healthy look, the UV rays play an integral role in synthesizing fat-soluble vitamin D in our skin.
  

Nutritional science has proven that vitamin D is greatly needed for proper calcium metabolism, for strengthening the bones, and to help prevent and treat serious medical conditions, including breast cancer, osteoporosis, prostate cancer, psoriasis, acne, and others. Exposing our hands or feet for 15-20 minutes every other day to the sun is adequate for our skin to synthesize what we need of this important vitamin.

Don't these facts give the sun some credit?

Of course, yes. Actually, the positive role that the sun's light (visible radiation) and warmth (infrared radiation) play in our mental and physical health is what inspires such reverence and therefore should never be overlooked nor ignored.

So, what makes the sun our skin's enemy?

Portion of the solar spectrum (the ultraviolet rays), which we incidentally, cannot see nor feel, can evoke negative physiological and pathological events in our skin. The UV's longer rays or "UVA" can reach deep into the dermis and cause structural cellular changes that lead to premature aging (80% of skin aging is caused by sun damage), while the shorter "UVB" rays cause burning of the skin, which many call tanning, and which, if repeated, can lead to skin cancer.

According to many scientific studies, overexposure to these rays is damaging and harmful, not only to the skin, but also to the general health and function of the body's organs, as it can inevitably lead to cataracts, premature aging, skin irritations and eruptions, skin disorders, lowered immunity against infections, and, worst of all, skin cancer.

One needs to keep in mind that sun damage can occur not only by sunbathing, but also during any daily activity like driving or walking. Exposure to artificial UV rays from sunlamps or tanning beds is also damaging (almost three times more than that from exposure to sunlight) and requires extra precautions, or better yet, total avoidance.

The gradual reduction in the earth's atmosphere (the Ozone Hole) makes things worse as it permits a higher level of the UV light to reach the earth, causing more skin damage. This means that skin damage is influenced by intensity, duration, and frequency of sun exposure and should be avoided with all possible means of sun protection; mainly by wearing a sunscreen or a sun block.

Note that while a sunscreen filters or "screens" the rays before they reach the skin, a sun block creates a physical barrier that prevents the rays from entering the skin (zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are the most common physical barriers used in sun blocks).

So, when choosing sun protection products for your salon, choose wisely; look for natural, effective and non-allergic ingredients such as: vitamins (A, E, and C), minerals (calcium, magnesium,), antioxidants (grape seed extract, Superoxide Dismutase or "SOD"), botanical extracts (aloe vera, green tea, ginkgo biloba and Beta Glucan), lipids (sunflower oil, avocado oil), and essential oils (Calendula, lavender, almond, sunflower, wheat germ); all known to promote the skin's health, immunity, and regeneration ability, in one way or another.

By offering a wide selection of sun protection products, and facial treatments that exfoliate, re-hydrate and regenerate sun damaged skin, many skin care salons, spas or beauty departments are helping clients stay younger, longer. This is a significant responsibility on the part of any health/nutrition/skin care professional, because although most people know that the sun is dangerous, they do not always translate such knowledge into recognizable protective actions and for that matter, your interference as professionals is required.

So, if you are serious about your health and youthful looks, you are advised to wear broad spectrum sunscreens (to insure protection from both UVA and UVB rays), with SPF of 15 or higher, 20 minutes before going out. Try to avoid sun exposure between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.; when the sun is at its peak. Make your choice depending on you're your individual skin type and color. You need also to wear protective clothing and make sure to drink lots of water as further precautions.

Know that exposure of children (6 months to two years) to the sun should be severely limited, while using sunscreens on those under 6 months of age should never be attempted.

In conclusion, being sun savvy means learning how to protect your skin from heat, dehydration, free radical damage, and cellular deficiencies and that is a good lesson to learn.

Dr. Dalia Santina, Ph.D.
Dalia4skin@msn.com

Author Profile: Dalia is a leading national and international author, a licensed aesthetician, holistic nutrition consultant, aromatherapist and iridologist. She earned her doctorate in Holistic Nutrition from Clayton College of Natural Health, with an emphasis on natural healing therapies. She has written two books, "Holistic skin is...IN" and "Super Supplements for Skin, Body & Mind".

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