Is Sunbathing Really That Bad?

But did you know that sunbathing was regarded as not fashionable until the twenties, and that every women wanted to have pale, delicate skin? All this was about to change when designer Coco Chanel, emerged with bronzed skin in the middle twenties. From then, the perception of having suntanned skin changed, and has remain until today.

As we all know the purpose of sunbathing is to get a fabulous sun-kissed looking skin, mostly for vanity and because we think that it make us look healthier...Really? Do you know the real damage that sun bathing can make to your skin?

Let me give you a few facts about the sun first:

The sun is the nearest star to Earth, is at least 4.500 millions years old and is completely made of gas with no solid surface.
The core has a very high temperature, of more than 15 million degrees Kelvin. The sun's exterior is composed of the surface and the atmosphere. We can only see the exterior layer called photosphere, which has a temperature of about 6000C, and some colder zones called sunspots with a temperature of 4000C.

Without the sun life would not be possible in our planet.
Most of the light that we receive from the sun, comes from the photosphere. The energy that comes from the sun, reaches Earth in form of visible, infrared and ultraviolet rays. Ultraviolet rays are divided into three categories, based on their wavelength: uva rays (320-400nm), uvb rays (280-320nm)and UVC (100-240nm).

UVC rays don't reach the Earth surface, because they are filtered by the Ozone layer. UVA and UVB rays produce reactions in all skin layers. These rays penetrate the skin every time we are out in the sun or sunbathing, and the skin defends itself by stimulating more melanin production, which gives the skin a darker appearance called tan.

The sun is responsible for 90% of premature skin aging. The constant exposure to the sun produces changes in the skin like:

• thinning of the epidermis
  
  
• collagen and elastin break down in the dermis
  
  
• skin pigmentation disorders
  
  
• wrinkles
  
  
• age spots, see how to get rid of age spots
  
  
• skin cancer and other skin problems

As we can see there is a lot to consider before sunbathing. Is it really worth it?

If after reading this you are still not ready to give up sunbathing, there are some precautions that every body should take.

Sunbathig Tips

• avoid the sun between 11am and 3pm.
  
  
• when out in the sun, use always a broad spectrum sunscreen that blocks UVA and UVB rays of at least SPF 15 or more.
  
  
• reapply sunscreen generously every two hours, and every time after swimming
  
  
• wear sunscreen, even in cloudy days.
  
  
• use protective clothes and hats
  
  
• look for quality sunglasses that block the two types of rays. You can find a great variety of quality designer sunglasses for men and woman here Discount Designer Sunglasses at United Shades!
  
  
• don't forget to drink plenty of water to rehydrate the body.
  
  
• pay special attention to children protection; they are more sensitive to sunburn.
  
  
• don't forget that the best way to a safe tan is self-tanning . Take care no to end up with a bad sunburn, but if you do read the following article sunburn treatment and see what you can do to alleviate the symptoms.

• the sun improve our mood
  
  
• helps with depression
  
  
• helps with the production of vitamin D
  
  
• has anti-inflammatory benefits for some skin diseases
  
  
• relieves rheumatic conditions

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