sa国际传媒淭he phrase sa国际传媒榟ealthy tansa国际传媒� is an oxymoron,sa国际传媒� says Dr. Harvey Lui. sa国际传媒淎 tan is a sign that yousa国际传媒檝e damaged your skin. Your body responds to that injury with a tan as a way of repairing the skin.sa国际传媒�

Luisa国际传媒攁 medical dermatologist with the BC Cancer Agency and a professor of dermatology and skin science at UBCsa国际传媒攕ays that there are several myths about staying safe in the sun, one of which is that if you get a sunburn at the beginning of the summer season, you will then tan and be okay; hence his caution that there is no such thing as a healthy tan. sa国际传媒淎 sunburn is naturesa国际传媒檚 warning that you shouldnsa国际传媒檛 be doing this.sa国际传媒�

Another myth is that if the sky is cloudy, the weakened sunlight will not be damaging to your skin. sa国际传媒淭here is a significant amount of UV [ultraviolet] rays still reaching the earth. And if itsa国际传媒檚 cold, people might let their guard down. If itsa国际传媒檚 sunny but cold theresa国际传媒檚 still a risk, because itsa国际传媒檚 the invisible UV rays damaging the skin, not the heat.sa国际传媒�

Lui says that it takes decades for skin cancer to develop, and that the damage starts in childhood. sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 really important for people to realize that research is showing that the risk of developing melanoma [a malignant tumour] correlates with the sun you got early in life.

sa国际传媒淲ith early sun exposure, such as a few bad burns or tanning, the cells get damaged. It takes decades for the cancer to develop, so parents need to protect their children. Even if everyone started practising good sun prevention today, we would still be seeing an increase in skin cancer for the next 20 to 40 years.sa国际传媒�

Being in or around water during summersa国际传媒攚hether it be a pool, lake, river, or oceansa国际传媒攎eans people need to take extra precautions to keep their skin safe. sa国际传媒淚f yousa国际传媒檙e by a pool, say, on a sunny day yousa国际传媒檙e getting lots of sun on your skin, and you could also be getting a reflected dose of light off the water.sa国际传媒�

Anyone going in the water needs to apply sunscreen before they do so. sa国际传媒淭he sunsa国际传媒檚 rays can penetrate the water, and when your head is above the water yousa国际传媒檙e getting the sun plus a reflection from the water.sa国际传媒� Sunscreen also needs to be reapplied when you come out of the water.

When it comes to sunscreen, Lui says a common error is not applying enough. sa国际传媒淧eople often use only a quarter or half as much as they need.sa国际传媒� And while people are pretty good about applying sunscreen to their face, they often forget to put it on their ears, behind their ears, and on the back of their neck.

He recommends that people look for a sunscreen with an SPF [sun protection factor] of 30 or higher. sa国际传媒淭hirty is the bare minimum; as high as 50 or 60 is even better. Itsa国际传媒檚 not more expensive.sa国际传媒�

People should also ensure that the sunscreen is a broad spectrum one, covering UVA and UVB rays, and should look for the logo of the Canadian Dermatology Association. sa国际传媒淭hey have reviewed all sunscreens, and feel these ones are effective.sa国际传媒�

He adds that any sunscreen that is labelled as being specifically for children is a marketing thing, nothing more. sa国际传媒淭heresa国际传媒檚 no such thing as sunscreen for children. Theresa国际传媒檚 no difference. The same sunscreen can be used by everyone in the family.sa国际传媒�

Lui also cautions against buying spray-on sunscreen. sa国际传媒淪unscreen in a spray bottle is convenient, but itsa国际传媒檚 very expensive, because yousa国际传媒檙e just spraying a lot of it into the air.sa国际传媒�

He adds that while some people get anxious about using sunscreen (sa国际传媒淭hey worry about putting chemicals on their skinsa国际传媒�), and acknowledges there is a theoretical concern that these materials might cause damage, a person would have to apply gallons of sunscreen to theoretically absorb trace elements of chemicals.

sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 wiser to protect your skin than to avoid sunscreen.sa国际传媒� He notes that sun greatly accelerates the aging process, and increases wrinkles later in life. sa国际传媒淚 tell people next time theysa国际传媒檙e in front of a mirror to look at their face and then look at their bum. Theysa国际传媒檙e both the same age, but you donsa国际传媒檛 get wrinkles on your bum, because it doesnsa国际传媒檛 get exposed to the sun.sa国际传媒�

Since the sunsa国际传媒檚 rays are strongest between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., Lui advises people to try to stay out of the sun during those hours. sa国际传媒淚f yousa国际传媒檙e a gardener, the nicest time to garden is early in the morning or in the evening. Itsa国际传媒檚 much safer and cooler.sa国际传媒� Gardeners should wear a broad-brimmed hat with a brim as wide as their palm extending all around it. sa国际传媒淏aseball caps are cool, but they were designed to help a baseball player see better in sunlight, not protect him from the sun.sa国际传媒�

Since gardeners are often looking down, they need to apply sunscreen to their ears and neck. Hikers need to pay attention to these areas as well, especially if they are walking with their back to the sun.

Another myth about exposure to the sun surrounds Vitamin D. sa国际传媒淪unlight helps make Vitamin D, but Vitamin D is also available through your diet or in supplements. And people think sa国际传媒業f some sun is good for Vitamin D, a lot of sun must be better.sa国际传媒� Vitamin D comes in tinted bottles to protect it from the light. Extra Vitamin D is degraded by sunlight, and you will accumulate DNA damage and have a higher risk of skin cancer.sa国际传媒�

While some clothing is marketed as being designed to protect the skin from sun exposure, Lui says itsa国际传媒檚 fine to buy less-expensive clothing that has a nice tight weave.

sa国际传媒淭he simple rule of thumb is to hold the material up to the light and make sure none gets through. Jeans are a good example; no one gets a tan through jeans.

sa国际传媒淪imple things are fine. And common sense is the cheapest thing around.sa国际传媒�