The Sun And Your Skin

By Deborah Baker

When you spend too much time in the sun or in any other kind of ultraviolet rays, your skin cannot make enough of the protective pigments that protect your skin and the skin becomes inflamed because of the overexposure. For those with fair skin or light sensitive skin, as little as fifteen minutes in the sun could be enough to burn.
The results of sunburn are not always immediate, you may feel the symptoms within minutes or it may take a few hours and could cause vomiting, headache, fever or even collapse in severe cases. Regular excessive exposure to the sun can cause the skin to become rough, wrinkled and leather like which also makes you look older.
In some cases, excess exposure to the sun can cause damage to the epidermis (the outer skin layer) and damage the blood vessels under this layer which can prevent the production of protein in the skin and cause damage to the DNA leading to skin cancer.

So, does that mean you should avoid the sun altogether? Well, no, because as already mentioned, the sun provides essential vitamin D. The answer of course, is to get the balance right and treat your skin properly with additional moisturiser, drinking plenty of water and wearing sunscreen.
In order to prevent yourself from getting sunburnt and damaging your skin, which is after all the body's barrier between the internal organs and the external environment, remember the following points:
Try to keep your skin well moisturised at all times, preferably using natural skin care products, this can help to prevent the skin for tightening up and drying out, particularly in the salty wind by the sea.
When you go out in the sun for the first time (either on holiday or just at home in the summer) limit the amount of time you spend exposed to the sun to fifteen minutes then increase the time daily.
Apply sunscreen approximately 15-30 minutes before going out into the sun and re-apply sunscreen every two hours. If you are sweating or swimming a lot, apply more often, and don't forget that you can burn through water so apply waterproof sunscreen before you go into the pool or sea. Also bear in mind that reflected sun rays can be more intense so you might need to wear a shirt in the water.
Avoid being in direct sunlight between 10a.m. and 3p.m. whenever possible.

Should you get burnt, even mildly, try paracetamol, aspirin or ibuprofen for the pain, antibacterial soaps or antiseptics will help prevent infection and after sun products which contain aloe can help to cool the overheated, painful skin.
Good skin care these days has become a natural and essential part of keeping healthy because of the health threats to the body's largest organ, such as sunburn. Taking care of the skin can help to prevent the development of skin ailments like psoriasis as well as skin cancer. Learning what type of skin you have, what the best skin care products to use are and what is an appropriate amount of exposure to the sun for you is an essential part of maintaining healthy and young looking skin.

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