from the Spring 2001 issue
As the Houston weather warms up, we expose more skin to the sun's ultraviolet radiation by wearing shorts and short-sleeve shirts. That means it's time to remind everyone about the dangers of tanning. Although a sun-kissed tan looks great on young, healthy skin, those who indulge in sunbathing when they're young will pay the price later in the form of premature aging of the skin and skin cancer. About one in five Americans will get skin cancer, mostly from sun exposure. To help you avoid being a statistic, let's discuss some myths and facts about tanning.
Myth: A light tan can be helpful because it prevents sunburn.
Fact: Tanning causes DNA damage. Every time you get a tan, you have damaged the skin, triggering a repair mechanism that produces melanin which is the body's attempt to protect the skin. The protection provided by the extra melanin is only equivalent to a low SPF (sun protection factor) sunscreen so it's not as helpful in preventing sunburn as wearing a high SPF sunscreen.
Myth: Indoor tanning beds are safer than spending time in the sun.
Fact: The Skin Cancer Foundation strongly refutes this claim. Tanning in a tanning bed increases your risk of skin cancer and speeds up the development of wrinkles and other signs of skin aging such as brown spots and spider veins.
Myth: Sunscreens may vary by SPF number, but otherwise they're all alike.
Fact: UVA and UVB refer to the two kinds of ultraviolet rays everyone is exposed to in the sun. You need protection from both. Most sunscreens provide excellent protection from UVB, but they're not all equally good at protecting from UVA. For full-spectrum UVA protection, you need something with an SPF factor of at least 15, which also contains one of these three sunscreen agents: zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, or parsol (also known as avobenzone). M.D. Forté® sunscreen, available at The Center, contains zinc oxide. You can check our website or we can fax or e-mail you a list of other sunscreens that contain the optimum UVA blockers.
The Best Suncreens
Summer 1999
Putting Your
Best Face Forward
Fall 1999
Check out these important sun safety tips.
And here you'll find some of the sun-screen products we recommend.
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