Sun Damage & Skin Health: Understanding Risks & Protection

 

Sun’s rays have, for years, been a guiding light for changing seasons and a rich source of vitamin D, essential for our body. However, are you sure, you are getting just enough sun’s rays on your skin or damaging it by getting too many?

So, how much is too much, and what are the harmful effects of over exposure? Let us find out what prolonged subjection to the sun can do for our skin.

• Skin is the outer covering of our body. Unlike other organs and organelles, it is thin and hence, sensitive. When you sit on the path of sun’s rays for too long, this outer layer might burn up and peel off. This is termed as ‘sunburn’. On a cold, winter day, sometimes, due to the soothing heat effect, we expose ourselves to too much harsh sun. If you notice your skin after some time, you will see the burning sensation and a tinge of blackness on your exposed layer of skin.

• Skin damages the elastic present in our skin, which handles the elastic effect. When you lose these essential fibers from the skin, it sags. Thus, aging is another drastic effect of sun exposure.

• Another critical effect of sun exposure is cancer. Considered to be one of the major ailments of the twentieth century, cancer can be a deadly disease to encounter. The prolonged sun exposure can cause the production of carcinogens, substances that cause cancer, to increase.

Well, those were some fearful effects of sitting in the sun for too longer time than advised by our doctors. Although sunlight is essential for good health, anything in the right measure is always good.

The health associations of many countries across the world give one essential advice to people always on the go – use sunscreen lotions to prevent all those harmful effects of sunlight.

A sunscreen acts as a protective layer between your skin and the sunlight that falls on it. Thus, you soak in the heat and get your essential vitamin D, but filter out the other factors which are not good for your skin.

There are many kinds of sunscreen available in the market today. Buy only those products, which have an SPF (sun protection factor) value of more than 30, to ensure you get the best protection against the sun’s harmful rays.

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