Benefits of Sunshine

We have all heard the warnings; careful of the sun - it can cause skin cancer. True, but if done correctly catching some rays can also be extremely beneficial not only to your physical health but to your mental health as well.

It is only relatively recently that a suntan has become such a fashion accessory, a symbol of radiant health, jet set wealth and fresh faced beauty. For many, many centuries a suntan was considered "downmarket", the mark of a manual labourer, working in the fields to scrape a living.

In Elizabethan England, courtesans would go to dangerously ridiculous lengths to remain as pale as possible, painting their faces with a sometimes lethal combination of carbonate hydroxide and lead oxide.

This mentality can be seen to a greater or lesser extent throughout much of history up until 1920 when French fashion icon Coco Channel developed a suntan while cruising aboard an aristocrat's yacht and the floodgates were opened.

By the 1940's womens magazines were encouraging the suntan look and pin girls such as Betty Gable and Rita Hayworth were pictured showing off tanned bodies in, what was then considered to be, skimpy bathing suits.

However, as with any craze things became extreme. With the advent of cheap package holidays to the Mediterranean in the 1970's an entire generation baked their bodies in the sun with no idea whatsoever of the dangers, and so not protecting themselves from the skin cancer that would come back to haunt them and create a huge health scare some 10 to 30 years later.

The suns energy travels to Earth via ultraviolet radiation which comes in 3 types. UVA, UVB and UVC. In 15 minutes the sun radiates as much energy to Earth as the world's population consumes in all its forms throughout an entire year.

These ultraviolet rays are most intense between 10am and 4pm, they are small and measured in billionths of a metre but they contain extremely high levels of energy that penetrate our flesh and actually change the structure of our skin cells. UVC has the shortest wavelengths and is extremely dangerous but fortunately for all life on Earth is completely absorbed by the upper atmosphere, the ozone layer. UVA and UVB are the ones that give us our suntans and the skin cancer if we don't treat them with respect.

UVA and UVB cause the melanocytes deep in our skin to produce new melanin granules. These granules are transferred to the upper cell layers of the skin and over a period of time the pigment builds up. This is actually our bodies natural protection system from the sun, it provides a protective barrier and the result is darker skin.

Freckles are the result of melanin granules that are distributed unevenly; each freckle is where an unusually high accumulation of melanin occurs in one spot.

All races have the same amount of melanocyte cells regardless of skin colour. In darker skinned people these cells are just spread more evenly through the skin and produce more melanin. These races also have a lower incidence of skin cancer because their body cells are constantly protected from the UV radiation by melanin.

If you build up your tan carefully, a deep dark colour will actually protect you from skin cancer. Recent studies have also suggested that sunshine may actually help reduce the risk of many other types of cancer like breast and prostrate cancer because the UV radiation from the sun is also our main source of vitamin D. The UVB converts a naturally occurring higher alcohol belonging to the steroid family called ergosterol in the skin into vitamin D.

Vitamin D also has the ability to combat the spread of cancerous tumours and it is very important for your bones, muscles and immune system. Ten minutes of daily exposure to the sun will supply you with all the vitamin D you need.

Sunlight is also proven to be able to alter your mood chemically. Apart from the obvious happy associations we all have with sunny days, sunlight stimulates the pineal gland which is a tiny pea sized organ in the base of the brain. The pineal gland produces certain types of chemicals called "tryptamines". One of these is melatonin which keeps our body clock aware of night and day and the other is serotonin which makes you happy and prevents depression.

If done correctly being out in the sun is wonderfully beneficial, just bear in mind that exposure to high levels of sunlight makes you 4 times more likely to develop cataracts in your eyes so get a good pair of UV protected sunglasses.

Sunburn, apart from being extremely painful, can change the distribution and function of disease fighting white blood cells and damage your DNA so make sure you expose yourself gradually to the sun until a good base tan is developed. Start at a maximum of 30 minutes in the sun then add 5 to 10 minutes each day, doesn't sound like much especially on a one week holiday but it is effective.

Don't expose pale skin without a sunscreen of at least SPF15. If you get sunburnt do not expose your skin further until it has healed - it won't tan anymore once burnt so there really is no need.

Use a good after sun lotion after every exposure that moisturises the skin and helps keep your tan for longer and inspect moles and freckles regularly, if you notice any changes inform you GP immediately as these are early warning signs of possible cancerous cells.

Basically, as with most things in this life, everything in moderation!