Skin Screening

Hitesh,a college student,went to Goa with friends and was on the beaches for long hours during October. He developed severe sunburn on his back and arms after returning to Pune.

Another college student who wore a scarf daily and rode 20 kms on bike developed sun rashes and a noticeable tan on the face and forearms in six months from October to March.

How to protect oneself from sun related problems?
It is always good to protect oneself from harmful UV rays for all people who spend major part of their day working in the sun. Amongst them are people who are in marketing or sales,construction workers,civil engineers,outdoor social workers,those who have to drive long distances to work,sportspersons and so on. This protection is especially required more during changes of weather like in March,August,October,December and throughout the summers. One will benefit if one follows the below mentioned tips :

* Always try to avoid major outdoor work during 11 am and 2 pm if possible

* Wear sun protective clothing like sun coats or clothing having long sleeves made from tightly woven cotton fabric. Very loosely woven,thin fabrics allow UV light easily through. Wear dark coloured,thickly woven cotton blends if possible which are more protective as they absorb UV light very well. UV protective clothing made from polyester,silk,nylon can be a good choice as they can give adequate sun protection equivalent to a sunscreen with SPF 15 (unfortunately this clothing with marked UV protection factor UPF is unavailable in India)

* Wear wide-brimmed hats covering ears and neck. Use UV protective goggles Use a correct Sunscreen having minimum Sun Protective Factor (SPF) 15.

The incidence of sun rashes,sunburn and all sun related skin problems have increased manifold due to major changes in our environment from destruction of the Ozone layer due to pollution,CFCs (Chlorofluorocarbons) and so on and changed lifestyle where outdoor work has increased greatly as well as there is considerable travel time on roads because of traffic congestion. According to Dr Bipin Deshpande,dermatologist and fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology,these are just a few of the sun related skin problems. Sunnlight has both visible and invisible light. The invisible sunlight consists of the Ultraviolet (UV) and Infrared (IR) light.

The various skin problems caused by UV light are — Sunburn, Phototoxic and Photoallergic reactions like Polymorphous Light Eruption or PMLE and Solar Urticaria,Hyperpigmentation or Tanning,Hyperplasia or thickening of skin,Immunosuppression or suppressing the resistance power of skin,formation of benign extra blemishes or growths, Photoageing or early development of ageing features like wrinkles,sagging of skin,fine lines etc.and Photocarcinogenesis or inducing development of skin cancers like Squamous Cell Carcinoma,Basal Cell Carcinoma,Malignant Melanoma.

According to latest studies except for ‘Sunburn’ which is caused by UVB all others can be caused by both UVA & UVB. UVA is a stealth damager as it does not cause heating of skin nor does it cause sunburn,yet its magnitude of reaching us is 20 times that of UVB and it is present throughout the day,. It can reach us even in shade or cloudy weather,penetrates window glass,is reflected five to 80 per cent from water,sand,concrete structures (buildings),snow and penetrates deeper into the skin than UVB.

UV light is more at high altitudes and near equator. Skin’s color Melanin blocks penetration of UVA and hence the brown or dark skin is relatively safer from UVA damage though not fully immune.

Sun rashes occur as reddish tiny raised or fluid filled lesions with itching or burning. Areas commonly exposed to sun are affected — face,ears,front of upper chest,back of neck,upper back,outside aspects of forearms and hands. In sunburn,the skin initially becomes extremely red (inflamed) having burning sensation followed by darkening and peeling of skin. In case of sunburn,it is advisable to put ice packs or cold water at the earliest and apply Calamine lotion profusely to relieve the discomfort & avoid using soap on the affected areas.