There’s no doubt that too much sun can cause skin cancer. Getting 5 sunburns in your life doubles your chance of getting a deadly form of skin cancer.
Burning the Blueprints
Sunburns are more than simple burns. The rays from the sun that cause burns, the UV rays, also damage the blueprints that your cells use to make copies of themselves. Even a light pink burn causes damage to skin cells.
Don’t Tan in Bed
And using tanning beds is worse. Almost all cases of skin cancer before age 30 are linked to using tanning beds.
Sunburn Response Plan
If you do get a sunburn, act right away.
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First, cool the skin, and try to keep it cool with a cold cloth.
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Apply an aloe vera gel (use 100% aloe vera, not a lotion with a tiny amount of aloe vera).
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Take vitamin C tablets and/or apply a vitamin C serum or cream. It helps prevent damage from UV rays. Also, take vitamin C and E before sun exposure to reduce the chance of sunburns.
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If the burn is painful, take an anti-inflammatory pain reliever.
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Drink plenty of water---burns suck up your fluids.
Skin Check
If you have a sore on your skin that won’t heal, or a new red or white patch, or any kind of new bump, get it checked out. Finding it sooner makes treatment easier. More Canadians get skin cancer than any other type of cancer. Thankfully, most skin cancer is treatable with a simple surgery.
Don’t Stay in the Dark
While it’s true that exposure to the sun increases the risk of skin cancer, it’s also true that avoiding all sunlight increases the risk of other diseases. And to put the risk in perspective, Canadians are 70 times more likely to die of heart disease than skin cancer.
Sun Gives Life
Sweden, another northern country, did a large study over 20 years with 30,000 women and found that more sun was linked to lower death rates. Avoiding the sun altogether had the same increased risk as smoking.
More than Just ‘D’
Exposure to the sun seems to lower the risk of heart disease. This may be because when you expose your skin to sunlight, the UV in sunlight triggers the release of a compound (nitric oxide) that lowers blood pressure. Sunshine also triggers the release of brain chemicals (serotonin) that reduce blood pressure. Sunlight provides more than just vitamin D.
Go North for Higher Cholesterol
Studies have also shown that heart disease causes more deaths in people who live farther from the equator. As you go north or south of the equator, cholesterol levels increase. The farther away from the equator you are, the higher the average level. Some experiments have shown that increased sunlight can lower cholesterol. Also, blood pressure is generally lower in the summer than in the winter.
Wintertime Heart Blues
Heart disease deaths peak in the winter and are lowest in summer. Deaths from heart disease can be 30% higher in the winter than in the summer. This is true for countries north or south of the equator. So, whether winter is January or July, as in New Zealand, winter increases heart disease deaths. It’s not entirely clear why, but increased sun, which increases natural vitamin D, is one explanation for the lower number of deaths in summer.
Follow the Sun
While increasing sun exposure is linked to skin cancer, people who live in sunny areas have a lower risk for many other cancers. Overall, more sun translates into less cancer. There seems to be a link between more sun and less diabetes. And there is a well-known link between more sun and fewer MS symptoms.
Get Sun in the Great White North
In a country as far north as Canada, it doesn’t make sense to avoid all sun. A better recommendation is daily short periods of sun exposure. 100 years ago, people spent most of the day outside, nowadays, everything happens inside. It might be wise for us to spend some time outdoors.
Have Fun in the Sun
Sun exposure is a trade-off. More sun can increase the risk of skin cancer. If you will be outside during the mid-day for more than 30 minutes, put on sunscreen. But avoiding the sun entirely can cause other health problems. It is similar to exercise. You can damage your knees from jogging, but that risk shouldn’t stop you. Moderation is the key. Avoid sunburns and even dark tans, but get a little sun every day.
