Ahhh! The sun is back - at last. Opening the curtains on a sunny morning elicits a grateful, joyful sigh of relief: it has been a long, dark and cold winter.
We need the sun to be healthy. An ideal amount of daily sun exposure is 30 minutes, with 20% of your skin exposed to the warm rays; hand and face exposure only amounts to 5% of your skin.
It goes without saying that we need to avoid burning, and the midday sun, but we also do need to expose our skin regularly without blocking the suns rays out completely with sunscreen - we do need the health benefits of sunlight. Sunblock, or sunscreen is essential if you are going to be exposed to sunlight for a long time, or during the midday period (11am-3pm). You need to know what you're using:
There are two types of ultraviolet rays: UVA and UVB. UVA protection is not as universal in suncreens as UVB protection, because UVA rays do not cause the skin to burn, although they may increase the rate of melanoma, a type of skin cancer. UVB rays can cause burning, but also stimulate the production of Vitamin D. An Australian study showed that increased sunscreen use caused Vitamin D deficiency.
Getting a suntan is protective against skin cancer because the melanin produced prevents sun damage to the skin, as well as the sunshine itself stimulating Vitamin D production. However, sunburn damages and ages the skin, and may increase the risk of skin cancers.
Regular exposure to gentle sunshine is enjoyable and healthy - as always, the answer lies in finding the balance.