(Safe) Fun in the Sun!

As good as the sunshine feels, we need to be aware that there are harmful effects as well.

It’s summer, time to bask in the sun. Or is it? As much as we all love to enjoy the warm rays of the summer sun, there is growing evidence we need to be very careful with the amount of sun exposure we get. As good as the sunshine feels on our skin, we need to be aware that there are harmful effects as well. Sunshine is a form of radiation, namely ultraviolet radiation, containing both UVA and UVB rays. And while the sun does makes us feel better by stimulating our brain to produce more serotonin, a neurotransmitter that plays a vital role in mood regulation, it also greatly increases our chances of developing skin cancer. Even more of a bummer, climate change has caused a major reduction in the ozone layer surrounding our planet, allowing more of the damaging rays of the sun to penetrate the atmosphere. As a direct consequence of this, skin cancer has risen dramatically in the last sixty years, to the point that it has become a near epidemic, with far-reaching effects on public health.

So, what to do about it? Stay inside? I think not, but there are many tactics we can employ to enjoy the summer safely. Like shade for instance. Going to the beach? Bring an umbrella or a sun tent. Wear long sleeve shirts and pants, and don’t forget your hat! (You know, the wide-brimmed floppy kind that covers your ears and neck, two of the most common places for skin cancer.) And though I have not forgotten about SPF, there is a lot of evidence suggesting that barrier methods such as hats and long sleeves are more effective at preventing melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer. Having said that, there are many instances in which barrier methods just aren’t feasible. In these cases, SPF of at least 30 should be worn and applied every two hours, as well as when you come out of the water. The only drawback to SPF is that it does prevent your body from making the active form of Vitamin D, which is why I recommend everyone take at least 1,000 mui (milli-international units per liter) of Vitamin D every day.

So go outside, have some fun and enjoy the summer and the sun, but do so with safety in mind.

This week’s Health Talk was written by Peter Hogenkamp, MD, who is a practicing physician in Rutland, VT, a public speaker and author of medical fiction and thrillers and the creator, producer and host of Your Health Matters, a health information program, which airs on cable television, on podcast and streams on YouTube.