A wise man by the name of Robert Duke once said, “When the sun is in the sky, you must reapply.” Great advice year-round, but now that the warm weather is back, and we’re all creeping out of hibernation, it’s especially important to remember to slap that sunscreen on and stay protected! In this article, we’ll take a look at sun exposure- the good, the bad, and the life-threatening, as well as what we can do to enjoy that beautiful solar radiation without the undesirable side effects.
The Good
It’s important to get some sun! We evolved as a species that lived out in nature, under the blue sky. Though we’re not as good at it as plants, our bodies were built to use sunlight for several important functions, and we should all be getting a good 15 minutes or so of sun exposure each day.
So what are the benefits?
- First, sunlight triggers a reaction in your skin to produce Vitamin D, which is extremely important for building strong bones and helping to regulate calcium levels. Not having enough Vitamin D can impair your ability to absorb calcium from food, which can lead to decreased bone density and strength. Low Vitamin D levels can also make you feel fatigued and sluggish, which can lead to weight gain and an overall unhealthy lifestyle.
- Sunlight can help combat and prevent depression. Sun exposure to the eyes can trigger the release of serotonin, an important neurotransmitter in the brain. Good serotonin levels are critical for maintaining a regular mood and preventing depression. In fact, light therapy is often prescribed as a treatment for depression in areas with less regular sunlight, like parts of Alaska.
- Daily sun exposure helps regulate sleep cycles. During the day, sunlight hitting the retinas in your eyes helps tell the brain that it’s time to be awake. It’s daytime! When the light is withdrawn at night, that triggers the release of melatonin in the brain, which can help you get to sleep. It’s all about that daily rhythm!
- Sunlight is good for certain skin conditions. In controlled amounts, exposure to sunlight can be beneficial in treating psoriasis, eczema, acne, and jaundice.
The Bad
While a moderate level of sun exposure can have many benefits for our health, we’ve all experienced the darker side of light. Too much sun can have painful and sometimes dangerous consequences.
- Sunburn. We’ve all done it. You’re having such a good time on the lake or at the pool, and you just don’t remember to armor up. Sunburn is usually mild to moderate, with just some painful skin redness and a little peeling, but it can also be severe. Severe, blistering sunburn can cause systemic symptoms, like headache, vomiting, and dehydration, which can sometimes necessitate IV fluid rehydration. Most sunburns, however, can be treated with NSAIDs, like ibuprofen or naproxen, in combination with calamine lotion or aloe vera-based gels on intact skin. There is no evidence that topical or systemic steroids or any other medications are effective in any way for treating sunburn.
- Premature aging. Repeated UV light exposure over the course of years can lead to premature aging of the skin. Sure, you might love the way your tan looks now, but you’ll regret it when your face starts to resemble a leather handbag. And a special word on tanning beds- Just Say No. Tanning beds, or as I like to call them, cancer coffins, emit highly concentrated doses of UV light in very short periods of time, running a high risk of damaging your skin long term. Unless prescribed to you by a doctor to treat a specific skin condition, I generally recommend staying away from tanning beds entirely.
The life-threatening
Sure, a mild sunburn here and there is likely not going to hurt you. However, it’s the buildup of sun damage over the course of years to decades that can cause some really dangerous stuff to start happening behind the scenes in your skin.
- Skin cancer. Even one blistering sunburn in childhood can more than double your risk of developing melanoma later in life. Multiple burns over the course of years? Big time risk. Every time you get a sunburn, those UV rays are actually doing direct damage to the DNA in your skin cells. If enough damage is done, it can either “turn on” certain cancer-causing genes or “turn off” the protective ones. This can lead to a variety of different skin cancer types, like squamous cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma, or the dreaded Melanoma. And before you dismiss skin cancer as just that thing your grandma had to have frozen off her face, remember that melanoma carries a significant mortality risk. Combining all stages of melanoma at diagnosis, there’s about a 7% risk that it will kill you within 5 years. That risk is much higher if the cancer is more advanced when it is first caught.
So what’s the moral of the story here? Sun exposure, like many things, is good for you in moderation. It’s great to get outside, get active, and enjoy the sun, the sky, and the water. But before you do, it’s easy to take some simple, common sense precautions to make sure you don’t wind up lying in an ice bath wishing you could have your shoulders amputated. Before any expected sun exposure lasting over 15-30 minutes, it’s a good idea to apply a quality sunscreen to any exposed areas of skin. You should look for sunscreen that is labeled “Broad Spectrum”, which means it protects against both types of damaging rays, UVA and UVB. You should opt for SPF 30 or higher, and make sure the product is water and sweat resistant. Regardless of how strong your sunscreen is, you should reapply it every two hours and immediately after swimming. Taking this one simple precaution can protect you from painful blistering sunburn, as well as keep you healthy and safe for a lifetime.
-Kyle Adams, MD