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Creating Health and Fitness Goals Year Round
You don't have to wait until New Year's Day to implement resolutions to improve your health and fitness. Regardless of the month or day, you can take action now to achieve your health and fitness goals. Here are some tips to get you started: *...
Great Uses of Tea Tree Oil - 21 Benefits of Tea Tree Oil Revealed
Tea Tree Oil has been known to the Bundjalung Tribe of New South Wales Australia for hundreds of years for its medicinal properties. This wonder oil was only tested scientifically in the early 1920's by Arthur Penfold and found to be around 12...
Make a face scrub from almonds
How would you like a quick and easy way to make a facial scrub? A simple facial scrub that gently exfoliates your skin and that leaves your skin soft and smooth. All you need is some rosewater and some finely ground almonds. 1. Wash your hands...
Proven Beauty Tips For Women Who Can't Seem To Find Time To Spend in Beauty Salons
This page is dedicated to the busy woman who juggles professional and personal life so efficiently but seems to frequently forget to include herself in her timetable. Women superheroes look gorgeous on TV, magazines and comics. So can YOU -you're...
Self-Acceptance and Self-Improvement
Self-Acceptance and Self-Improvement Robert Elias Najemy Part 3 of a 5 part series on creating a Positive Life Outlook Some fear that if we accept ourselves as we are, that we will have no motive to improve ourselves. There is a small...
Seven Aspects of a Making Brilliant Decisions: The Relationship Between Work and Self
Workwerk
: an opportunity for discovering and shaping; the place where the self meets the world. Regardless of what business we are in, what projects we are working on or what interests we have in the world – we are all in the business of...
The Science of Architecture:
You’re told to take vitamins, drink plenty of water, get a good night’s sleep and exercise, but has anyone ever told you that the design of your home and office can impact your health? You wouldn’t be alone in raising an eyebrow and ...
"What's Really Underneath Jealousy in Relationships"
When the subject of jealousy comes up for many people, it's usually thought to be a challenge between a couple in an intimate relationship which involves a third party. We know that jealousy can be about much more than that and here's why . . . ...
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Sun Exposure & UV Rays: The Basic Facts
The human body benefits from sun exposure. And a little bit of tan protects you from the sun. Right? Wrong!
The body does indeed benefit from sun exposure. But a little bit of tan does not necessarily protect you from the sun. Let’s see why.
The sun’s rays are a major source of vitamin D and help the body’s systems acquire much needed calcium for building healthy bones. However, most people don’t need to spend large amounts of time exposed to the sun in order to get their required amount of vitamin D.
In fact, the body’s health can actually suffer negative effects when it’s exposed too long to the sun’s rays, especially if it’s unprotected. Results can vary from skin and eye damage to immune system suppression and ultimately cancer, even for the young.
So let’s look at the basic facts about sun exposure.
There are three kinds of invisible ultraviolet (UV) rays in the sun that reaches earth: UVA, UVB, and UVC. When these rays come in contact with our skin, affects of UVA and UVB can be - tans, burns and other reactions (e.g. like acne and cancer).
It’s also notable that the effects of all UV rays are not the same. Depending upon the season, time of day and place on the planet in relation to the sun - (i.e. your altitude and latitude), the rays’ intensities vary. For example, during summertime, UV rays are at their strongest. Between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., the rays are strongest. And close to the equator and at high altitudes (where air and cloud cover are less, resulting in increased harmful penetration of UV rays into the environment), the rays are also strongest.
In order to protect ourselves from the harmful UV rays, let’s look at the skin’s first defense - melanin.
Melanin is a chemical present in a variety of colors and concentrations in most people's skin that helps with defense
from the sun. Melanin reacts with UV rays and absorbs them. Or rather, to be more specific, the rays act upon melanin, causing the melanin to spread out or grow, increasing its presence in response to the sun’s exposure. The result? A ‘sun tan’. The darker the skin color, the more melanin the skin has for protection. And ‘tanning’ for darker color is included here; ‘color’ does not have to refer to just the original skin color.
A word of caution…
Tanning may look great on the surface, - but the amount and length of time a person is exposed to the sun, determines the amount of possible damage. It also determines the future risk of damage that’s likely.
For example, people who are exposed to the sun in huge doses like ship crews, field workers and beach surfers, are at higher risks for skin damage than indoor workers. What happens is that when the amount of UV exposure is greater than what the skin's melanin can handle, sunburn can result. And those with lighter, fairer skin, who have less melanin, absorb less UV, suffering less protection.
Since research has shown that UV damage from the sun is the main cause of skin cancer, (with as high as 20% of some populations developing skin cancer during their lifetime), we need to take a proactive approach in relation to sun exposure to avoid harmful skin damage.
As we say colloquially here in Australia - “Slip, Slop, Slap”. (I.e. ‘Slip’ on a shirt, ‘Slop’ on a hat, ‘Slap’ on a sunscreen). Look after the skin you’ve got, because you’re the one who will be living with it!
Angela Perin is editor of the www.safetan.com.au/safetansubscribe.aspx" target="new">'Safe Tan Ezine', which features practical articles and tips on Beauty, Fitness, Nutrition and more. www.safetan.com.au" target="new">SAFE TAN - The Ulimate Experience in Natural Sunless Tanning
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