Sun Exposure
By Lauren Mitchell
Risky Business:
How much sun can you handle?
Three personal factors that affect how sensitive you are to the sun:
• Your natural skin tone Fair-skinned redheads and blondes who
burn easily are at the highest risk. At the other end of the spectrum
are people with dark pigmentation who never burn, whereas those
who tan gradually (and only sometimes burn) fall into the moderate risk category. But don’t use your skin as your signal to tell when you’ve had too much sun exposure. Much damage has already been done if you’re in pain from overexposure.
• Your family ties Your risk is greatest if your family has a history of atypical moles or malignant melanomas, so pay special attention to any changes in your moles.
• Your age Most people take in 80 per cent of their sun exposure by
the age of 18. And it’s usually the sun damage received before reaching puberty that leads to a skin cancer later on in adult life.
While you can’t exactly stop yourself from growing older, change your skin tone or alter your family’s medical history, you can make
sun smart strategies a part of your regular routine. To start, slather
on sunscreen daily and stay in the shade whenever possible. Your
body will thank you for it!
Most people take in 80% of their sun exposure by the age of 18
Vitamin D:
The Sunshine Vitamin
Yes, it is true that our bodies need vitamin D (200 international units a day for women under the age of 50), and that exposure to the sun’s UV rays triggers our skin to synthesize vitamin D. However, this is no excuse for tanning.
“Estimates suggest that we can synthesize enough vitamin D by exposing one forearm to natural sunlight for 15 minutes each day,” says dermatologist Michelle Glied of Toronto’s Meridia Medical. A few things to keep in mind when it comes to vitamin D:
• You’re likely getting a good amount of vitamin D during your travel time to and from class.
• If you’re drinking fortified milk, taking a multivitamin or regularly eating eggs and salmon—all high in vitamin D—you’re getting plenty of it from your diet.
• Instead of using D as a tanning excuse, focus on scoring an A in sun safety. Try to stay out of the sun during peak hours (10 a.m. – 4 p.m.) and apply sunscreen liberally—one teaspoon is enough for just your face and ears.
REALITY Check
Dr. Michelle Glied of Meridia Medical in Toronto sheds some light on common sun tanning myths:Myth: Tanning beds are safer than tanning in the sun.
Reality: Tanning beds emit 2-5 times more UVA rays than natural sunlight. These damaging rays contribute to premature aging, wrinkles and increase your risk of developing skin cancer.
Myth: A tanning bed will give you a “base tan” so that you won’t
burn in the sun.
Reality: The “base tan” that results from tanning beds provides very little protection from the harmful effects of the sun.
Myth: Sunless tanning products will protect your skin from the sun.
Reality: Unless the sunless tanning product has SPF in it, you’re just as vulnerable to the sun’s dangerous rays. Self-tanners give colour to the skin, but they do not provide any form of sun protection.
So whether you have a faux glow or go au naturel, the same sun smart rules apply: use a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15 and reapply it every two hours.
eco-FREAK
Turn the tap off when brushing your teeth. If every Canadian turned the tap off, we would save 490 billion liters of our water resources annually. That’s enough water to fill almost 200,000 Olympic swimming pools, or brew 2 trillion cups of coffee! More tips to make your summer the greenest ever [at] vervegirl.com/Green Room