Summer, sunshine, sun burns – how to protect your skin

The ultraviolet radiation (UV) of sunlight is responsible for the development of sunburns and skin cancer. These UV rays are made up of three parts – UV-A, UV-B and UV-C radiation. The ozone layer and earth’s atmosphere protect us from a large amount of the aggressive UV rays. The strong UV-C rays are almost completely absorbed and the more moderate UV-B rays are absorbed up to 90%. The milder UV-A light reaches the earth’s surface almost untouched by the natural filters. The UV-B light is the most dangerous of the three. It enters the surface skin layers and can modify and damage molecules, such as our DNA, with its high amount of energy. The soft radiation of UV-A light reaches deeply into our tissue. For a long time, UV-A was thought to be harmless. Yet. recent studies show that this UV light can also cause DNA damage.

Our skin has a variety of protective mechanisms. Our cells, for example, incorporate repair enzymes, which can permanently fix DNA damage. Sun rays evoke the distribution of melanin, a dark skin colorant. This dye covers the cell nucleus, protecting the DNA inside. It’s also is responsible for our skin becoming tanned. Despite these natural mechanisms, every sunburn leaves a trace of DNA damage behind. In the course of a lifetime, many defects to the genotype can accumulate and this can lead to an undamped multiplication of skin cells. This is one of the first indicators of skin cancer.

Skin cancer types are categorised into different groups:

If the cells responsible for producing melanin are affected, the cancer type is a malignant melanoma – the black skin cancer. In one third of the cases, this type of cancer develops from beauty patches. The ABCDE-rule helps identify suspicious moles:

A – asymmetry: an unsymmetrically shaped mole

B – border: an irregular or diffuse outside edge

C – colour: various colours or pigmentation in one mole

D – diameter: larger than 5 mm or growing in size

E – embossment: the skin deformation protrudes from skin level

Particularly large, irregular, dark and singular moles should categorically be checked by a skin doctor. The more common and much less dangerous white skin cancer, originates from uncontrolled splitting of squamous epithelium cells or basal cells. These are located in the top layers of skin. Groups at risk are fair skinned people with red or blonde hair because their bodies have less melanin to protect them. People with darker complexion can also develop this type of skin cancer. You should always use sunscreen before tanning. Another important rule is, “The sooner, the better.” The earlier skin cancer is detected, the higher the chances are for defeating it.

Sunscreen protects our skin by absorbing and reflecting UV-rays for a certain amount of time. We recommend waterproof lotion, as sweating can reduce the effect of protection. The sun protection factor SPF should be chosen according to skin type. People with fair skin will develop red spots after only five minutes, which means that their natural protection can hold up for only five minutes. The SPF multiplies this amount of time. Meaning, a natural protection of 5 minutes can be prolonged to 150 minutes with a sunscreen of SPF 30. This type of person can now spend not only five minutes, but 2.5 hours in the sun before getting sunburned. After this period of time, a new layer of lotion should be applied and spending some time in the shade is recommended. It is also important to wear headpieces to cover the scalp from sunburn and to prevent a sunstroke.

With these tips at hand, you can now enjoy the summer sun!