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Sunlight

Sunlight: the Good and the Bad

No one would dispute that the sun makes us feel good. The warmth and brightness of summer days elevate the spirits and make us feel that all is right in our world. But most of us understand that there is also a dark side to the sun, including the development of skin cancers and premature aging of the skin. Let’s take a closer look at how the sun affects us, and how we can take advantage of all the good the sun provides, while minimizing its dangerous effects.

Benefits of Sunlight
Sunshine and mood. It’s no coincidence that we feel happier when the sun is shining. The mood is directly influenced by a complex interrelationship between sunlight, melatonin (the sleep hormone) and serotonin (the hormone associated with wakefulness and elevated mood). As darkness falls, melatonin levels naturally increase, dropping again as dawn approaches.

Serotonin levels increase significantly when a person is exposed to bright light, explaining why we feel happier when the sun is shining. In fact, today’s most widely used antidepressants, known as selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs), work by allowing naturally produced serotonin to remain in the bloodstream longer. This helps keep the mood and energy levels higher.

Sunshine and vitamin D. Vitamin D is produced naturally in the body when rays from the sun hit the skin. Although in Canada, milk is fortified with vitamin D, most people do not drink enough milk to fully satisfy their body’s need for this vitamin. If you consistently use a sunscreen, it is particularly important to ensure you receive enough vitamin D through the diet. (Egg yolks, milk, fish oils and some multivitamin supplements contain vitamin D.) Since vitamin D is toxic in high amounts, it is equally important not to overdose.

Vitamin D is essential to many vital body functions including the building and maintenance of bone, and prevention of certain cancers including colon cancer. Significantly, in cultures where women are required to wear “cover-up clothing” and veils, osteomalacia (weak bones) and osteoporosis (brittle bones) are common conditions, despite the long hours of sunshine.

Ten to 15 minutes of sun exposure a day (without a sunscreen) will help satisfy the body’s need for vitamin D.

Dangers of Sunlight
While a little sunlight is helpful for the production of vitamin D, too much can damage the skin, and may cause skin cancer. There is also evidence to suggest that UVA light suppresses cells of the immune system. Here is a list of conditions that are directly or indirectly attributable to exposure to the sun.

Premature wrinkling and sagging of the skin.
Age spots and blotchiness.
Skin cancer, including deadly melanoma.
Suppressed immune response. Cataracts and other conditions that impair the vision, often permanently.
Cold sore breakouts.
Sunstroke and dehydration.
Last, but not least, sunburn.

To minimize these risks, make sure you observe Sun Safety 101. A little prudence, and a lot of sunscreen, will help you to fully enjoy all the benefits that sunshine brings.

A Short History of Tanning
Centuries ago, the Greeks and Romans could easily distinguish between the different classes. Those who ruled (and enjoyed lives of leisure), had pale skins, while those who toiled in the fields were tanned from the sun.

This demarcation between the classes persisted through the ages. Women of ancient Greece and Rome used chalk or lead paints to whiten their faces, a tradition that persisted through Elizabethan times. Unfortunately, most of these “ladies of leisure” died young of lead poisoning.

In 19th century America, paleness was also fashionable, and exemplified by the Southern belle, who would not dream of venturing outdoors without her parasol to preserve her delicate pallor.

All this changed in the 1920s, when women became emancipated from confining fashions and began to relish their physical and social freedoms. The primary proponent of the tan was none other than fashion maven, Coco Chanel, who was photographed sporting a deep tan following a cruise. Whether or not her tan was by accident, no one knows, but it served as a message to the thousands of women who admired Coco’s unmistakable chic. Suddenly, the tan was not a mark of the underprivileged, but rather a sign that one had the money to follow the sun. Being tanned was the new status symbol, encouraging people to bake for hours, often unprotected.

Today, as we understand that a suntan is nothing more than the skin’s reaction to damage, paleness has returned to the forefront of fashion.