Sunshine is healthful for most people; it makes them feel and look better. However, it is almost surely harmful to people suffering from certain diseases. These include tuberculosis of the lungs, nephritis, and particular skin diseases such as lupus erythematosus. However, psoriasis and some other diseases are helped by sunlight.
To avoid a burn that reddens and blisters your skin or even puts you in the hospital, be careful about the following:
Learn when and where the sun has the greatest burning power. Watch out for the midday sun! Late afternoon is a safer time to start your suntanning. Even when the sky is overcast, the sun can burn cruelly. Be especially careful at the beach or on snow-covered mountains because, in addition to the direct sunlight, there is reflected glare from the sand and water, or the snow and ice.
Know your own type of skin and how easily it burns. Babies under two years and delicate children of any age need close watching when they start their sunbaths. Allow them only five or ten minutes at the start, increasing their time in the direct sun at the rate of about five minutes each day. For most adults, 15 minutes is long enough for the first sunbake. Each day after that, the exposure time can be lengthened by 15 minutes. Because the face, the skin in front of the elbows, and the legs are more sensitive to burning than are other parts of the body, they need extra protection.
Use a suntan preparation. Suntan preparations help to guard your skin against burning, but even the best ones give only partial protection. Some work better on certain individuals than they do on others, so it is best to try out several of them.
If you want to stay out in the sun without tanning or freckling, you will need a heavier type of preparation. Your chemist can make up a cold cream containing 15 to 20 per cent zinc oxide or titanium oxide.
Suggestions for sunbathers
Drink plenty of water when you are suntanning, to make up for the fluid you lose perspiring. Take salt tablets or salty crackers or tomato juice with salt in it.
Getting overheated in the hot sun is dangerous for anyone. It may put a strain on the internal organs, particularly the heart and blood vessels. An elderly person or one with heart trouble or any other serious disease should always ask his doctor about sunbathing.
Australians spend a great deal of their leisure time outdoors—surfing, sunbathing and working or playing in a minimal amount of clothing. This habit, complemented by hot summers and fair skins, has resulted in the highest incidence of sun spots or skin cancers of any country in the world. If a scaly patch, lump, ulcer or other unusual lesion appears on your skin, seek medical advice as soon as possible. Remember, only neglected skin cancers can become dangerous.
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