Nine Myths About Sunscreen and Tanning

Now is a good time to clear up some of the myths about sun
tanning.

First, a few good things about sunshine: It can help fight
depression, provide the body with Vitamin D, improve a person's overall
well-being and encourage healthy activity like exercise.

But, like anything, too much of it is a bad thing.

Suburban dermatologists, along with the American Academy of
Dermatology, helped us debunk the myths:

• Myth: It's good to have a healthy tan.
  There's no such thing as a "healthy tan," says Dr. Robert Septon, a
  dermatologist with offices in Libertyville, Gurnee and Buffalo Grove,
  Ill. Being tan means your skin is mounting a defense to ultra-violet
  light damage. Skin does this by changing color and thickening.

  "A tan means that you've had damage to the skin by
  ultra-violet light," Septon said. "Maybe a tan implies that you've been
  doing some healthy activities, but the tan itself is not healthy."

• Myth: Old sunscreens are just as effective as
  new ones. Technology has infiltrated the sunscreen business.
  So toss out that 15-year-old bottle and buy some new stuff.

  Prior to 1989, sunscreen did not include certain
  ultraviolet-ray-absorbing compounds that are important skin protectors.
  Now it does. There also are new water- and sweat-proof formulas that
  stay on longer.

• Myth: Putting on lots of sunscreen at the start
  of the day will last you all day long. Not true. One of
  Septon's patients recently did this before he went skiing in Colorado.
  The man put on sunscreen in the morning and then skied all day. He
  wound up with a serious sunburn on his face. Septon said it happened
  because the sunscreen wore off.

  Even sweat-proof and waterproof sunscreen is only good for
  a limited time. The rule is to re-apply sunscreen every three hours, or
  even more frequently when sweating or swimming.

  And use "way more than you think you need," said Dr. Marta
  VanBeek, an assistant professor of dermatology at the University of
  Iowa. "When people put on sunscreen, they really only put on enough to
  garner half the SPF that's on the bottle," she said.

• Myth: As long as I'm wearing sunscreen, it's
  fine to stay in the sun as long as I want to. People use
  sunscreen in order to stay out in the sun longer, which itself can
  create problems and increase the risk of cancer. While sunscreen will
  help protect against the dangerous solar rays, it is no guarantee for
  keeping your skin safe.

  "It can give someone a false sense of protection," Elk
  Grove Village, Ill., dermatologist Robert Polisky said.

  Dermatologists advise that you limit sun exposure whenever
  possible, especially between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. when the
  sun's rays are the strongest.

• Myth: Skin cancer is a rare form of cancer.
  Not any more. Over half of all new cancers are skin cancers, and an
  estimated 1 million new cases will be diagnosed in the United States
  this year, according to the AAD. No one is sure exactly what has caused
  the increase in skin cancer cases, but a few dermatologists believe it
  has to do with the thinning ozone layer and increased education
  efforts.
• Myth: Dark-skinned people don't get sunburned.
  They can still get sunburned, but it's less likely because their skin
  contains some natural SPF qualities. Fair-skinned Caucasians are much
  more likely to get burns and skin cancers, according to the AAD. Even
  people who freckle, rather than burn, are showing signs of damage.

  "That's the body's response to a solar injury," Polisky
  said. "People might think it's so adorable, but it's not good."

• Myth: I can't get sunburns on areas covered by
  clothes. It's unusual, but it happens. Sun-sensitive people
  have been known to get burned through T-shirts. An average shirt or hat
  provides SPF 6 protection. Several brands of sun-repellant clothing are
  now on the market, made with tightly woven fabrics so they provide SPF
  40 protection. Local dermatologists say such clothes only help very
  light-skinned Caucasians. The average person doesn't need them.

  Clothing doesn't always provide full coverage. For
  example, someone wearing a baseball hat might think he's protecting his
  head, but he's leaving ears and neck exposed. So keep the hat on, but
  make sure you put sunscreen on your neck and ears.

• Myth: Anything over SPF 30 is useless and will
  just clog your pores. Not true. For people who spend a lot of
  time outdoors or have light complexions, the more SPF, the better.

  Polisky said SPF gives you 10 times as much time in the
  sun as you would have without sunscreen. So, for example, if you would
  normally burn in 10 minutes and you're wearing SPF 10, you'll have 100
  minutes in the sun before you burn.

  Polisky recommends using a moisturizer with an SPF 15 on a
  daily basis. It's not necessary to spend a lot of money on it;
  drugstore brands like Oil of Olay, Aveeno or Solbar Gel will do the
  job.

  "No one should use less than SPF 15," said Oak Brook,
  Ill., dermatologist Marianne O'Donoghue. "A lot of people think more
  than a 15 will put harmful chemicals on their skin. But if someone has
  really light skin, a 35, or even up to a 48, is fine."

• Myth: A tanning bed is safer than the sun.
  The ultraviolet rays in a tanning bed are weaker than the sun's, but
  they also go deeper into your skin, which can cause more long-term
  damage, dermatologists say.

  "A tanning bed can burn you, too. There just aren't any
  immediate consequences," Septon said.

  Polisky advises against using tanning beds because the
  radiation levels are of an "unknown quantity." In other words, the
  numbers on the dials aren't always what's coming out of the tubes, he
  said.

  "After the beds warm up, they put out more ultraviolet. So
  if you're the first guy who comes, you're not getting as much as the
  guy at the end of the day, since the bed is already warm," Polisky
  said.

Source: Daily
Herald; Arlington Heights, Ill. Powered by YellowBrix, Inc.