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Protect your skin from the summer sun

Looking forward to the long sunny days of summer? If you want to get the most pleasure from your outdoor activities this summer, make sun protection a daily habit before you head outside.

There's no denying that radiation from the sun damages the skin. Ultravoilet rays are classified according to wave-length as UVC, UVB, or UVA. Most UVC radiation is filtered out by the earth's ozone layer. UVB, which has long been thought to be the only dangerous portion of the sun's radiation, penetrates deeply into the skin, reaching the second layer, or dermis. Although UVA radiaton does not penetrate as deeply, scientists have recently discovered that it is 1,000 times more concentrated than UVB. Although UVA alone doesn't cause sunburn, it suppresses the activity of the immune system and can actually increase the effects of UVB.

Even if you don't sunburn, exposure to ultravoilet radiation will age your skin. Sun exposure dries the skin, promotes abnormal growth of skin cells, and speeds the loss of collagen. Over time, sun-exposed skin becomes covered with a network of fine lines and wrinkles. Pigment problems occur as well -- splotchy pigmentation, enlarged freckles, and spider veins are all associated with excess sun exposure.

Keratoses -- scaly thickenings of the skin -- are precancerous lesions that often appear on solar-damaged skin -- and basal-cell cancers also are common. Although these may be easily treated, repeated solar damage puts you at risk for more serious cancers, including squamous-cell cancer and melanoma.

If you spend a lot of time outside during the summer, sunscreen, sunglasses, and a hat should be part of your regular outdoor gear. The newest sunscreens provide protection against both UVA and UVB (check the label). Be sure to choose the most appropriate SPF (sun protection factor); although experts once believed SPF 15 was adequate, it is now thought that higher numbers provide more protection. No matter how high the SPF number, reapply the sunscreen frequently -- at least every one or two hours. Apply it liberally, and don't rub it in -- a film of sunscreen on the surgace of your skin provides the best protection.

If your face already is showing signs of solar damage, talk to your facial plastic surgeon about the procedures that are available to help improve your facial appearance.

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