Pros and Cons of the sun

[M]

Hi guys

As most of us spend a lot of time in the sun, I would like to ask

1. How much time you spend in the sun on average

2. If you know the dangers of the sun

3. What you do to protect yourselves from the harmful aspects of the sun

M

[M]

Oops. I meant to put that in the health etc. forum, not sure what I did. Sorry.

I guess it is not a big deal! (I hope)

M

[bigjay]

We don't have a separate forum yet for health so your fine.
My answers are as follows though.
1. On an average work day I am in the sun from 4 - 8 hours and on a non-work day I'm in the sun 2 - 6 hours. Work time I have a sleeveless shirt and non-work I have not much of anything on, usually the speedo or shorts depending on what I'm doing.
2. Well I know the sun can cause skin cancer, sun poisoning, blisters, sun burns, freckles, and can make your skin look aged a lot quicker than it should. That is all I can think of right now.
3. At work I wear SPF 50 sunblock and apply often so that really works well. Outside I use 30-50 SPF and also tanning lotion. I rarely burn anymore. Then when I come in and clean up I use Nivea body lotion to moisturize even though the tanning lotion says it has moisturizer in it. So my skin is usually soft and tan longer.

Good topic, especially for speedo lovers

[C]

For me it's a matter of when I'm outside. I'll typically avoid the early afternoon sun, instead going for mid-morning or late afternoon commutes (15 min each way) or time out by the pool. If it's a sunny weekend I'll time my bike rides earlier in the morning and go for some sunscreen. This way I can get some sun (vitamin D and whatnot) while avoiding most of the serious danger. At this time of year at this latitude, the noontime sun can be pretty unpleasant. To see the effects on the locals:



(shudder)

[M]

Wow bigjay. You are in the sun a lot, especially if you work outside as well.

I might get a couple of hours here and there on the weekends. The African sun can be really hot, so I have to take care.

Bikedude has some good advice. Try to avoid the midday sun at the lower latitidues (30 degrees south to 30 degrees north). The rest should be fine.

Bigjay has answered quite well, better than some of my dermatology students recently. Aim for a high SPF as he does and use a moisturiser for cosmetic anti-aging affects if you can.

Be careful guys, please. Most develop nasty cancers later in life. We can cut them out if treated early.

The only other aspect is eye protection.

Do you use eye protection in the form of good sunglasses? It is another important factor.

Keep answering.

I had a bad day (post weekend trauma in ICU) and could not post an article I wanted to.

If I think of something relevant later to ask, I will.

M

The only option to help you not mentioned above is to wear a hat and to protect the back of the

[bigjay]

M I wear Oakley Sunglasses that are suppose to block 100% UV rays. Hopefully that is true. I use to wear a hat when I worked outside, but I would end up sweating more and worried about possible heat stroke from getting too hot with it on.

[M]

This is one of the better information pages about the sun and the skin.

Its not all bad news. We need the sun rays on our skin to produce a hormone needed for calcium regulation (activated vitamin D) and the sun boosts the immune system

I hope the link works

http://www.cfpc.ca/English/cfpc/program ... lt.asp?s=1

M

[M]

Hi Bigjay

Those are good sunglasses; they should work.

A hat can be uncomfortable, but I have never known one to cause heat stroke yet. The sweat actually helps regulate body temperature. But comfort is very important