Don't let summer tan turn ugly

  Nearly year-round sunshine is why many choose to live and vacation in the desert Southwest, but overexposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays can cause serious health problems, experts caution.

  While some prefer to take advantage of outdoor activities, everyone needs to protect their skin with a broad-spectrum sunscreen to avoid the harmful effects of UVA and UVB rays, advised Dr. Peggy Agin, a cell and molecular biologist for Schering Plough Corp., a pharmaceutical company that makes sunscreen and other products.

  "The sun can cause tanning, but also burning, freckles, photoaging (premature wrinkles) or even certain types of skin cancer," Agin said from New Jersey in a telephone interview with The Sun.

  She went on that according to American Academy of Dermatology, just one blistering sunburn when a person is young can increase the chances of developing a melanoma skin cancer later in life.

  The sun's UVB rays are the shorter, more energetic waves that don't penetrate the skin as deeply as UVA but lead to DNA damage, Agin said. The longer, less energetic UVA waves do reach deep into the skin and damage lipids, proteins and DNA.

  Therefore people need a sunscreen lotion with a sun protection factor appropriate for their skin type, Agin said.

  Typically they range from SPF 15 to 50. SPF is an index of how protective a sunscreen is compared to unprotected skin. If a sunscreen is waterproof, it will retain its SPF protection up to 80 minutes. But anyone exercising in the sun needs to reapply sunscreen every couple of hours, Agin noted.

  "You can't depend on a sunscreen for sole protection so you must also use a sun safety program," Agin said.

   A good rule of thumb to remember is the sun's rays are ever-present and can penetrate through the clouds and even glass. Whenever a person's shadow is shorter than they are, the sun's rays are at their strongest and that is when sun-protective clothing is most needed. Broad-brimmed hats, sunglasses and even long sleeves and trousers are advisable.

  "The weave of the clothing is more important than the fabric, but cottons and linens are more tightly woven and in general offer better protection," Agin said.

  Water, sand or snow acts like a mirror and bounces the sun's rays back at you more than grass, so that's where a person needs special caution.

  Also, people with blonde or red hair, as well as green or blue eyes, are generally more susceptible and are advised to take extra steps to screen out the sun.

   While children's capacity to burn is about the same as adults, they are often outdoors more and frequently need to be reminded to cover up from the sun, Agin said.

   "If you're outdoors very long, try to stay in the shade or get under the cover of shade every couple of hours," she said. And avoid the sun between 10 in the morning and 4 in the afternoon if you can."

  Yuma Parks and Recreation supervisor Joe Cox said the department provides sunscreen for all the pools' lifeguards and although young adults get caught up with getting a tan, down the road it doesn't look so good.

  Michael Lowry, born and raised in Yuma, has been a lifeguard at Marcus
Pool for five years. Lowery said he tried going one summer without using sunscreen but he regretted it and is now making sure he uses an SPF 45.

  "I don't sunburn easily, but I get tan really easily," Lowry said. "We've got umbrellas out here and we try to stay under them. All the lifeguards are pretty good about it."

  The Marcus guards work in 30-minute stints for five-hour shifts so they are only exposed for a couple of hours per shift. But Lowry likes to swim laps and work out at poolside, so he is getting a lot more sun.

  Although he's noticed an increase in freckles over the years, he has never had any more serious change to his skin. But still he is well aware of the toll the sun can take.

  "I've seen a girl collapse at Kennedy (pool) from heat stroke," Lowry said. "She hit her head on the big slide railing and had to get six stitches. After that we had a meeting and now tell everybody to drink plenty of water. That's a big thing with all the guards."

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William Roller can be reached at
wroller@yumasun.com or 539-6858.