Anyone who continually exposes their skin to the harsh conditions of the sun is running the risk of skin damage known as sunburn. This condition can be quite painful and uncomfortable but, worse still, it can lead to the serious illness of skin cancer.
In recent years, because of the knowledge we now have about the damage to the ozone layer, many people have become more wary about this overexposure to the suns rays. The ozone layer which is the part of the earth’s atmosphere that protects the planet from ultraviolet radiation, has been damaged by the common usage of things such as synthetic pollutants. Consequently, these ultraviolet rays are now more dangerous than ever before.
Often, we do not feel the effects of sunburn until several hours after the damage is done. This is because sunburn is actually a radiation burn rather than a heat burn. These burns are caused by the ultraviolet rays from the sun. These rays can damage the skin through penetration without the person necessarily feeling that their skin is overheating.
The skin consists of an outer layer, the epidermis, and the bottom layer, the basal layer. It is the epidermis that suffers the effects of sunburn. This is the layer that contains the pigmentation cells which, when new cells appear as a result of the sun, is seen as a suntan. If there is not enough pigment filters, it results in sunburn.
Sunburn is an immediate type of sun damage but its effects may not show for several hours after exposure. Reddening of the skin and a burning feeling may take up to twenty four hours to occur. If the sunburn is severe, blisters may occur, causing damage to some of the cells in the epidermis.
Sun damage from repeated exposure are much like those of aging. The skin shows wrinkling and thickening of the skin. Lumps that look like warts can appear as well as dryness and cracking of the skin.
In modern times, the biggest concern to most sun-worshippers is that of skin cancer. Realistically, people who have often suffered from sunburn have a higher likelihood of contracting skin cancer than people who have never been sunburned. In areas where there is a lot of bright sunshine, such as Australia, the incidence of skin cancer is very high. In fact, Australia has the highest frequency of skin cancer in the world.
It is extremely important to be particularly vigilant where children are concerned. If a child is often exposed to sunburn, he or she is at a higher risk of contracting skin cancer when they become adults.
Once a person has been sunburned, the most important thing is to avoid exposure which will obviously cause more damage. Applying a soothing lotion can reduce the discomfort which will usually recede within a few days. Once the initial discomfort is reduced, the skin may peel. When the damage is severe, a steroidal lotion may be prescribed. These lotions reduce inflammation as well as the potency and duration of the sunburn.
There are a number of ways to protect the skin from sunburn. The most natural way is to gradually increase periods of time in the sun in order to build up a tan. The sun is also less intense when it is low such as morning and evening so it makes sense to enjoy the sun at these times rather than in the middle of the day when the sun is at its peak. Some people believe that they are safer when swimming but this is untrue. Although the water absorbs the heat, the ultraviolet rays are still directed on the skin.
Sunscreen should be applied frequently during exposure to the sun, and especially immediately before and after swimming. Some of the sunscreens available give virtually complete protection by stopping all ultraviolet rays, thus allowing prolonged time in the sun without resulting in damage.
Of course, not all effects of the sun are negative and exposure to sunlight is necessary for health. It is essential for vitamins C and D and creates a healthy glowing skin.
So, it is important to have some exposure to the health benefits of the sun but, like anything else, moderation is the key. Sensible exposure is a positive way of life but overexposure is nothing more than a recipe for disaster.
Anne Wolski has worked in the health and welfare industry for more than 30 years. She is a co-director of http://www.magnetic-health-online.com an information portal with many interesting medical articles and also of http://www.pharmacybyweb.com which has online physicians who can help you with any questions you may have.

Skin cancer in dogs, which is not commonly known, is the most common cause of cancer in your pet. In most cases of this potentially deadly disease, there is no known actual cause, although long periods of sun exposure is thought to be the cause of one of the types of these cancers.

All dog breeds are at risk of developing skin cancer and it can affect all age brackets as well. However, it is most prevalent in middle aged to older dogs between the ages of six and fourteen. Light colored or white dogs also seem to be at a greater risk than dark colored dogs, and there are some breeds that also seem to more prone at developing this form of cancer.

These breeds include Norwegian Elkhounds, Kerry Blue Terriers, Scottish Terriers, Basset Hounds, Weimaraners, and Boxers.

Examining your dog:

Examining your dog at least once every couple of weeks may end up saving their life in the long run as you can easily spot a development if you understand exactly what to look for. It is important to catch any type of cancer as early as you can, but it is absolutely critical with skin cancer as it can spread very rapidly.

Examining your dog is easy to do by carefully separating their hair with you hands and than looking closely over their entire body, as these growths can occur anywhere. You will be looking for some very specific signs that will identify skin cancer in the very early formulation periods. The first set of signs that you want to look for is any type of a tumor or growth, scaling or crusty lesions, or any areas of color changes in your dogs skin.

Next you want to look for any type of a new growth, a change of size or color in an existing growth, or a tumor that bleeds easily or does not seem to be healing. A very important part of the examination process is to also watch your dog very closely. If they have an area of their skin that they are continually licking or scratching, check that area more frequently for these symptoms.

You also need to watch for any swelling that may occur in their breast area as well as any type of discharge from their nipples. And do not leave out the tail area, as this is also extremely important as they may develop lumps or a discoloration on or under their tail.

Types of Skin Cancer:

Skin cancer in dogs is a very extensive and broad category of tumors and primarily includes any type of uncontrolled growth of cells in the skin or structures that are associated with the skin. These structures include their glands, hair follicles, and their fat, as well as connective tissues. There are some forms of cancer that will affect the skin such as Metastasis, but this is not considered a skin cancer because it does not originate in the skin.
Skin cancer in your dog is broken down to four major categories: Epithelial, Mesenchymal, and Round cell tumors, as well as Melanomas. The exact type of skin cancer will all depend on the cell in your dog that has been affected.

Epithelial tumors:

This form of skin cancer in your dog involves the skin itself, as well as the glands in their skin or hair follicles. This group of tumors includes papillomas, squamous cell carcinoma, and basal cell tumors, as well as sebaceous gland, sweat gland, and perianal tumors. Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common type of skin cancer in dogs and this form of tumor will almost always develop in non-pigmented or hairless sections of the skin simply because it has less protection.

This type of tumor is almost always round in shape and females seem to be affected more than males, and your dogs forelegs as well as their hind legs are the most likely areas of attack.

Mesenchymal tumors:

This form of skin cancer derives from the cells in your dog that surrounds and supports their skin. This includes their fatty tissues, any type of a connective tissue, and well as their blood vessels and nerves. In most all cases with this type of tumor, either benign or malignant, they are much less defined than an epithelial tumor. These cells are very seldom rounded and will come in several different shapes.

The most common form of this tumor is called Lipomas, which are benign fatty tumors. Your dog may only have one develop, but it is capable of developing into several spreading tumors. With this form of tumor, it is very important to catch it early and have your veterinarian identify it properly from a mast cell tumor.

Round Cell tumors:

These tumors are named round cells as that is exactly what they look like when examined under a microscope. This includes a wide range of tumors but by far and away the most common is the referred to as mast cell tumors. Mast cells in your dog are highly specialized cells that are found throughout their body and they help your dog respond to both inflammation as well as allergies.

These cells release several chemicals when they are stimulated such as antihistamine, and they are critical to your dogs immune system; however, they can also be extremely damaging to their body when the release becomes chronic. These cells can severely damage your pets body by this chronic release and result in gastric ulcers as well as internal bleeding.

Melanomas:

Perhaps the best known of all the skin cancers, this form of cancer is derived from melanocytes, which are your dogs cells that provide the pigmentation in their skin. Damage to these cells demand immediate attention as they can very easily metastasize to any part of your dogs body and can easily be spread by their lungs and lymph nodes.

If this type of skin tumor is benign, they will appear as firm, round dark pigments that will range from one-quarter to two inches in size. They are most commonly found on your dogs head or back and will not metastasize. However, if your dogs lymph nodes swell, it is a sign that they are spreading, regardless of their size or shape.

Summary:

Skin cancer in dogs if caught early, can usually be successfully treated in several different ways that can be discussed with your veterinarian. The key to the success is catching it early.

There is no one that knows or understands your dogs body better than you do, and if you do find anything unusual such as a lump or a sore, take it very seriously and do not wait to notify your veterinarian. The sooner they can examine your dog, the better their chances are a beating skin cancer.

I am an avid lover of pets and my wife and I have had several pets throughout our years. We are especially fond of dogs, and we have a 12 year old Dalmatian (our 3rd) and a “mutt” that we rescued when someone threw him away to die in a vacant field.

He found us, nearly starved to death, and weighed about 2 pounds.

After severe bouts of mange and severe dehydration, and over 1,000.00 in veterinarian bills, we saved the little guys life, and he is one of the best, if not the best, dogs we have ever had and today is a muscular, fit, and firm 70 pound best friend.

After finishing my MBA, which at middle age was not easy, I decided to keep the research work ethics that I acquired, and devote about two hours each night in understanding the health benefits of supplementation for both humans and pets and how they might strengthen our, as well as our pets, immune system in a pre-emptive approach to health rather than a reactionary approach.

Both of my daughters are avid cat lovers, and asked me to help them with health concerns and challenges with their cats.

I am not a veterinarian nor claim to be, just a lover of pets that loves to research and pass on some knowledge that might be helpful, or at least stimulating to the thought process.

Several of the articles that I have written can be found on my website, Liquid Vitamins & Minerals for Humans & Pets – http://www.liquid-vitamins-minerals-humans-pets.com/

There is, however, another documented benefit of tanning. Tanning helps the skin protect itself from further exposure to ultraviolet radiation. This was reported in the September 1999 issue of the Journal of Investigative Dermatology. The report was authored by Dr. Barbare A. Gilchrest and Dr. Mark S. Eller. Both worked at the Department of Dermatology at the Boston University School of Medicine.

The journal report stated five important points:

1. The UV radiation produces the protective melanin pigments.

Why are melanin pigments considered protective? The melanin in the skin helps the body expel excess energy from further ultraviolet exposure. The excess energy can cause harm but, with the aid of melanin, this is removed from the body in the form of heat. The melanin can also deactivate the free radicals, which are infamous for their destructive action on the body.

2. Tanned skin prevents UVR injury.

Related to above findings, the authors reported that a tanned skin is less prone to blisters and sunburn. Blisters and sunburns are UVR damages that a skin sustains when the skin can no longer tolerate the UV it receives. A tanned skin has a higher tolerance of UV rays. Thus, having a tanned skin is similar to wearing a sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor of 3-5.

3. Tanning provides photo-protection.

When a person undergoes the tanning process, the stratum corneum layer of his skin is considerably thickened. With this thicker layer, the skin becomes less sensitive to the ultraviolet radiation. Such is called photo-protection. A person with pale white skin may not attain the dark olive color that he desires but his stratum corneum has achieved a certain thickness that gives him photo-protection.

4. Tanning elevates the skins repair capacity.

One of the greatest fears of people when they face tanning is the disease called skin cancer. But skin cancer only happens when a person abuses the tanning process. That is, he stays in the tanning bed longer than what is recommended by the manufacturer or the tanning salon professional. Skin cancer happens when too many damaged and abnormal cells are produced. With gradual and responsible tanning, the skins capacity to repair itself is actually enhanced. When the skin repairs itself, it gets rid off abnormal cells and fixes damage cells.

5. Both natural tan and acquired tan gives the same skin protection.

All the above-described protection obtained from a tanned skin is not limited to a natural tan. An acquired tanned skin can also provide the same protection.br
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Everyone knows that redhead sunburn easier. But do they get skin cancer easier? New research indicates that the pigment in their skin may instigate cancer even if they don’t suffer from sunburns. As you may have heard, getting sunburns in childhood is a risk factor for skin cancer, even later in life.

Who is prone to sunburn? Of course if you have light colored eyes, hair and skin, you are at higher risk. This combination is frequent among redheads. Redheads have a different type of melanin than people with dark hair. Blondes even carry some of the same pigments as redheads.

Duke University said that the melanin in redheads is more vulnerable to damage from the sun’s UV rays. Redheads, under exposure to the sun, developed a reaction of oxidative stress. This is where damage to DNA and cells may occur and over time, form cancer. Research used UVA and UVB rays for testing. UVA can cause damage without burning.

Sunscreens protect against UVB, but its not been shown to help against UVA. Sure, some protection is there, but the FDA will need to set guidelines for consumers. It all boils down to this: wear sunscreen and put it on your kids.

Here’s what you do:

Apply plenty of sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher and reapply every 2 hours or as indicated on the bottle.

Reapply after swimming, sweating, even drying with a towel.

Apply even during cloudy days.

Avoid the sun in the middle of the day. 10 and 4 is indoor time.

Wear a hat, clothing and sunglasses.

Take care of the kids. Overexposure early in life may lead to skin cancers later in life.

Even so, the FDA has a warning label:

“Warning -This product does not contain a sunscreen and does not protect against sunburn. Repeated exposure of unprotected skin while tanning may increase the risk of skin aging, skin cancer, and other harmful effects to the skin even if you do not burn.”

A glossy golden brown tan to set off toned limbs – that’s the stuff which the young fashion-conscious dreams are made of. The pursuit of that bronzed, sun-kissed look has led to an influx of sun worshippers in bikinis, board shorts, and bare chests congregating at the beaches. But just how much do they know about the dangers associated with excessive sun exposure?
A lot of youths are adventurous, fun loving and are passionate about sports. This may just cause them to overlook the necessity of proper sun protection. While many outdoor sports like soccer, wakeboarding, windsurfing etc are undoubtedly beneficial to health, the risks of excessive sun exposure to the participants are also very real.
Sun Damage
The sun emits 3 types of ultraviolet (UV) rays: UVA, UVB and UVC. Only UVA and UVB rays reach the earth’s surface because UVC is filtered out by the ozone layer.
UVA penetrates deeply into the skin and triggers the production of melanin, which is a pigment in our body that causes skin to tan. UVB primarily affects the skin’s outer layer and causes sunburn. UV rays are thought to be responsible for chronic photo-aging (cluster of skin conditions like hyper pigmentation, wrinkles and sagging skin), and skin cancer.
Sunburn is one of the short-term damages of sun exposure. It ranges from redness and pain to redness and swelling, and in some serious cases, blisters can occur.
Frequent sunburns have been associated with increased risks of getting skin cancers. There are 3 common types of skin cancers: squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and malignant melanoma.
Most SCC and BCC cases are caused by chronic exposure to sunlight. These tumors appear most commonly on sun-exposed areas like the face, hands, back, shoulders and lower lip. SCC tumors are irregular and fleshy growths that can enlarge and break down into ulcers.
BCC tumors are often shiny and pigmented, with raised borders. The Skin Cancer Foundation (SCF) in New York, USA, estimates that some 800,000 and 200,000 Americans suffer from BCC and SCC annually respectively.
Malignant melanoma is cancer of the skin’s pigment cells. It may form in pre-existing moles, where pigmentation is heavily concentrated. The tumors are presented as large, thick and colored (red, blue or black) patches that grow rapidly, with irregular outlines. The SCF estimates that about 51,000 new cases of malignant melanoma are reported annually in the USA.
On a less fatal note, exposure to bright light can also trigger migraines and headaches, for up to 24 hours. Melasma is another UV-related skin disorder characterized by symmetrical brown pigmentation patches in UV-exposed areas and affects women 90% of the time.
Block Out the Sun
Much as knowledge of sun exposure dangers is important, knowing how to minimize risks is even more essential. Techniques to minimize damage from sun rays can be divided into those to do with behavior and those to do with fabrics.
Behavior wise, sun-lovers can refrain from carrying out high-risk activities between 10am and 4pm, when the sun’s rays are the strongest. On a general note, try to keep in the shade while going about normal activities.
Fabrics that are sun-protective have tight weaves and are dark-colored. To test for a tight weave, hold the garment about 7 inches from your eyes towards a light source. If visible light can penetrate holes between the threads, so can UV rays. Dark colors absorb harmful UV rays better than light-colored clothes and hence protect the skin better.
To protect the face, sunscreen is essential, preferably one with at least Sun Protection Factor (SPF) 20. Reliable brands include Sunkiller, La Roche-Posay and Coppertone. If sun exposure time is expected to be long, then a sunscreen of higher SPF of 45 or 60 is recommended. One often-neglected directive is to reapply sunscreen frequently throughout the day, as sweat or friction may have washed it away. For the eyes, sunglasses with UV-protective coating are advised.
Alternative Tones
Fashion-conscious youths who covet a tan but are afraid of increasing their skin cancer risks have started to frequent tanning salons. This misguided attempt only reduces the incidence of sunburn and not skin cancer, warns Dr Wong, an associate consultant dermatologist with the National Skin Centre of Singapore.
“In fact, by going to tanning salons, you are exposed to unnecessary excessive UVA, which may increase your risk of getting skin cancer as it is primarily UVA-mediated.”
One relatively harmless alternative to sun tanning is to use self-tanning lotions. These contain dihydroxyacetone (DHA), which reacts with proteins in dead skin cells on the skin surface to result in brown pigmentation, which becomes the tan. While self-tanning lotions, like other topical products, have been known to cause skin irritation, no adverse long-term effects have been recorded.
As we welcome the warm, sunny weather, do keep in mind the relevant risks and precautions. Being cautious when young may just save you lots of heartache and pain in later years.
Debra Tan is a senior product development consultant at ~SkinWhite Research Labs. Equipped with a team of experienced cosmeceutical researchers, SkinWhite Research Labs is a company that specializes in the formulation of skin whitening products that help to rectify sunburn and pigmentation problems. Please visit their official website for more information on sunscreen and how to protect your skin from sunburn.