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The Hydrometeorological Service reported a few days ago that, along with the hot summer, the amount of ultraviolet radiation is increasing. These rays cause adverse effects on human health. The eyes and skin are particularly vulnerable.
Tomas Loiba, host of Žinių radijo’s morning espresso program, spoke with Matilda Bylaite-Bučinskienė, a dermatovenerologist at Vilnius University, about the effects of the sun on our bodies.
– What are the benefits of being in the sun for the skin and body, in addition to the aesthetics that we become brown, pretty, summery?
– First of all, of course, they are emotions. The person feels much more energetic, more rested. Mood, receptivity, ability to work improve – all this stimulates a person in a very positive way.
Sunlight relaxes. The sun is associated with a good vacation, rest.
We also know that the skin, when exposed to the sun, produces vitamin D. Most speculate that it is enough to be long and that we will produce a lot. But in reality, the skin can only produce a certain amount of vitamin D.
Everything happens according to the rhythm of the sun, the rhythm of day and night. For us it is extremely important, because it gives the person more energy: the more cloudy, the less sun, the more it affects us.
But the sun doesn’t have to be paranoid for long. Most dermatologists are menacingly reminded of sun damage before every summer vacation. We must not forget. We are looking for a vacation, but the sun is quite active, that’s what we experienced last weekend. Already, many patients have requested burns or when we look at patients for other diseases, we have seen that they are severely burned, even with peeling of the skin. So, you need to protect yourself.
The sun warms, caresses our body, gives us a lot of joy, but it always hurts: acute damage, when we can feel at night if we burn severely, and long-term effects, skin damage, when various benign skin conditions begin. appear after 10-20 years Derivatives such as seborrheic keratoses. Those who spend a lot of time exercising outdoors can also develop multiple actinic keratoses, especially those in their 60s to 70s.
Sunscreen
One of the most common cancers is basal cell carcinoma. As young people are now very active in the sun, water sports are popular in Lithuania, we see that younger people can get this basal cell carcinoma as well.
Above all malignant skin formations, we fear melanoma. Every dermatologist feels the duty and the desire not to see this cancer. It is quite insidious. It doesn’t always seem so bad because most cancers are not painful. A person does not feel anything and, if it is not noticeable, they do not see that darker spot or an altered mole, or a dark formation that grows suddenly, or even a pink melanoma, sometimes even pigmented.
Therefore, melanoma is the most dangerous skin cancer. It can occur at the base of the eye, in other places. It is not only necessary to protect the skin of the body, but also the eyes. Not only for the style that we wear sunglasses that block UV rays, but also to protect against premature aging and eye damage.
– You have listed many disorders and diseases caused by exposure to the sun. As I realized, you can spend too much time in the sun this summer and a disease or disorder will develop even after a few years, right?
– Here is the paradox that the greatest damage to the skin occurs in adolescence, childhood or youth up to the age of 25.
In the past, young people and children were more outdoors, more involved in sports. Falling asleep, waking up, sitting still, playing cards or chess; in this case, the person is more disappointed, the skin burns more.
Severe burns are dangerous in melanoma; the risk increases. The long-term effects affect other cancers and lesions other than melanoma more.
After staying longer in the sun, we may feel burning, stinging. The sun, it is true, sometimes, as people say, “dries” acne, bacterial infections.
But still, it is very strong and suppresses the immune system: most people know that shingles starts, herpes emerges in the buttock area. It also has an immunosuppressive effect, but we don’t feel it because the body is omnipotent, often restoring that damage within a few days. After all, the skin is the organ that never forgets anything: it has its own warehouse, its bank of all information: how many times in your life have you had skin damage, how long have you been exposed to the sun.
Again, this depends on the type of skin. For example, people with a darker body, those who turn brown immediately after sun exposure, are at lower risk.
But people who are very blond, red, swollen, and have sensitive white skin are at the highest risk of developing various skin cancers, melanoma. For them, the damage is greater because the whole body has less pigment, which protects against that damage.
Matilda Bylaitė-Bučinskienė
– How is it advisable to sunbathe safely?
– If you ask a dermatologist if you can sunbathe, this is always the answer: strictly no.
I am very happy that most want to take care of their health before, that approach is becoming more holistic, that I am responsible for my own health, for my own life. This is very welcome.
It is gratifying that young people are reading, interested. Of course, most travel to tropical countries. You already know that you can get serious burns in Lithuania at noon. Oh, when it comes to Malaysia, Thailand, etc., there is a very high risk. There it burns very fast.
One thing you should know is very important information: sunscreens only protect against burns, unfortunately not against long-term damage, skin cancer.
If a person applies a protective cream and lies in the sun, sunbathing with the aim of tanning all day, what do we do then? We fool ourselves. In this case, we run the adjustment clock.
Sunburn as a perception should stop. It became popular after the Second World War, creating the illusion that a good vacation must necessarily be only by the sea, the water and the sun. There used to be a slightly different tradition and now it’s very hard to get it out of your head.
The recommendation is this: if we are in the sun, we should cover ourselves with a scarf and clothes. It is better to spend time under the umbrella on the beach, because the sun is very intense, especially at noon, between 11 and 15 o’clock.
And for the areas that cannot be covered, it is always recommended to apply sunscreen and not weak protection factors like 15 or 20 SPF. The body needs SPF 30, and the face, hands, scalp and ears, especially in men, should be 50. If you are in the tropics, there may be more.
Sunscreen
Pharmacies should choose convenient means: spray, lubricate, oil or lotion.
The most important thing is that you do not forget. Often the cream is applied very little, unevenly, just to the nose or face. Usually many still relax before the sun goes down. Then we have more painful consequences.
We must always look for the golden mean. There is no need to look at the sun paranoid, there is no need to sunbathe excessively, so we see those consequences. You need to find your laxative in moderation: rest, stay in the sun, and not burn yourself.
I wish everything seemed simpler, but make sure it doesn’t ruin our vacation, night. If it burns badly, even blisters before it passes, all holidays are over.
Let us take special care of children because they are especially sensitive to the sun. They should not burn at all up to 3 years.
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