There’s no denying that being in the sun makes us feel better.
It increases serotonin levels and depending on how strong the sun is, can help our bodies produce vitamin D. But how much of your knowledge about tanning and sunburn matches the scientific consensus? A few truths:
There’s no such thing as a healthy tan
Tanning has long been considered a sign of wellbeing after Coco Chanel popularized the ‘healthy glow’ in the early 20th century, but is it as good for you as popular opinion would lead us to believe?
“The body’s ability to tan is melanocytes making packets of color called melanosomes to try to protect the cells below it. There’s no real benefit to tanning—it just causes DNA damage and ultimately more wrinkles. There’s no way to get a ‘healthy tan’ other than a spray tan,” said Carolyn Jacob, MD a Fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology and Director of Chicago Cosmetic Surgery and Dermatology.
There appears to be a spectrum of opinion with regards to how safe tanning is, however, with a recent post from Harvard Medical School debunking myths about skin advising that ‘developing a light or gradual tan through repeated, but careful, sun exposure isn’t dangerous as long as precautions are taken, such as sunscreen with a minimum SPF of 30 and avoiding peak exposure times.
There may be nothing you can do to reverse the damage to your DNA after getting sunburned
Despite years of public health campaigns, the incidence of skin cancer in the western world has gone up, not down, with rates in the U.S. doubling from 1992 to 2001, but attitudes to sunburn in many are still blasé, with one American per hour on average dying from skin cancer.
Skin cancer is highly treatable if caught early, but even a single blistering sunburn during childhood or adolescence can double the risk of melanoma, with 5 or more between the ages of 15 and 20 can increase risk by a whopping 80%. Sunlight causes damage to the DNA in skin cells in multiple different ways and we all know that prevention is better than cure, but what can you do if you do end up getting burned?
“After burning—antioxidants such as vitamin C and E and anti-inflammatories, such as aloe vera help calm down the cells as well as topical steroids like hydrocortisone, which are available over the counter,” said Jacob.
The jury is out on whether anything can actually help skin repair its DNA after sunburn, or whether these interventions simply decrease discomfort and aid general healing. There are however some expensive sunscreens on the market which claim to contain enzymes which can help repair DNA after UV exposure, although the evidence supporting their efficacy is not exactly plentiful and none of these enzymes are FDA-approved.
People with darker skin are still at risk of skin cancer
It is true to say that caucasians are more at risk for skin cancer than those with darker, more pigmented skin. African Americans, for example, have more melanocytes and melanosomes, which are protective against DNA damage, but this does not entirely stop people with darker skin getting skin cancer.
“African Americans can develop skin cancer, it depends on their skin tone and some genes which can lead to a propensity for melanoma,” said Jacob.
This type of melanoma is acral lentiginous melanoma, a particularly dangerous form of the disease, which typically is found on the palms or soles of feet and far more common in those of African, Carribean or Asian descent. It is the same condition that musician Bob Marley died of at just 36.
Jacob explains that there are hereditary risk factors associated with this type of melanoma and that those who have family members who have had the disease should be particularly careful to check for any unusual moles, discoloration or bumps on their skin.
Sun addiction is real
Tanning beds first became popular in the 1970s and researchers think that the recent jump in cases of melanoma, particularly in middle-aged women, may be these early habits finally catching up with them.
“There was sun addiction in the 1980s, people were addicted to tanning beds, they essentially get a little high from it,” said Jacob.
This is supported by research showing that repeated exposure to sunlight in mice can produce endorphins which have a similar effect on the body to heroin. When the mice were given a drug to block the effect of opioids, they showed signs of withdrawal. However, questions have been asked about the relevance of this work to humans, bearing in mind that mice are nocturnal animals and are also normally covered in fur.
So if you feel blue after returning from a sun-soaked holiday, it may partly be that you have become a little addicted to those feel-good rays.
Several days of consecutive sun exposure is worse than a few minutes a day
Most of us count down the days until our vacations, spending much of the daytime during the week indoors and for much of North America, months in the winter largely covered up to cope with cold temperatures. So our sun exposure comes in concentrated packets for those few weeks a year where we escape to sunnier climes, but what does this do to our skin and chance of skin cancer?
“Intermittent sun exposure is thought to be more harmful than a few minutes a day. For example, no sun for ages then 5 straight days is very dangerous as cells don’t have time to repair themselves,” said Jacob.
Even those who are sensible during their time in the sun may be causing more damage than they think.
“Even though you are getting a tan, you are still causing DNA damage to the cells. Repeated hits to the cells will cause more and more DNA damage, and the cell’s ability to repair itself will eventually fail,” said Jacob.