Too much sun can be bad for your skin as well as increase skin cancer risk!

Real Tan Vs Sun Beds
Exposure to the sun, even in a short period of time can raise your chances of developing skin cancer. How about the artificial substitute of the tanning beds found in tanning studios? Do they have the same risk as the real sun? Read on!

Sunburn can develop in as little time as half an hour even in those countries which do not have large amounts of sunshine such as Britain. It can also pose a serious threat to your health in the long term.

The ultraviolet rays from the sun are the major cause of skin cancer and this common disease is now affecting approximately around 50,000 Britons each year. The more dangerous form of skin cancer which is known as Malignant Melanoma is killing more than 2% of the people who develop skin cancer. Skin cancer itself is now making up around half of the new cancer cases in America and it is predicted that half of Australians will develop the disease at some point in their life.

One of the most vulnerable groups at risk are children, particularly those under six months old – they should be completely kept out of the sun as their skin is unable to produce the required amount of melanin to protect them from the UV light. Experts such as dermatologists believe there may be a link between sunburn during childhood and malignant melanoma developing later on in life.

The individual skin cells and DNA is damaged each time the skin is burned or even tanned. Some of the cells will die and some will repair themselves. The cells that cannot repair themselves will eventually become the defective cancerous cells causing cancer problems.

The ultraviolet light within the sunlight can lower the immune system in the human body making it difficult to destroy cells which become defective. These can later grow to produce a cancerous tumour.

A melanoma usually begins as a formation of pigmented malignant moles or tumours that are dark in colour. They can appear very suddenly without warning or they can develop around or from moles.

It is essential that if you notice any changes occurring in the appearance and number of moles you have on your body that you seek the advice of your doctor. He will probably be able to reassure you that everything is ok, but often this is one of the first signs your moles are turning malignant.

They can appear anywhere but most often around the upper back and the legs. It is essential that you notice changes such as the following:

• Change in the size or colour of birthmarks and moles
• Dark or irregular growths and spots.
• Current birthmarks or moles bleeding or itching.
• Pigment spread surrounding the skin
• Tenderness and itchiness or pain in the surrounding area

Tanning lamps and sun beds also produce ultraviolet rays and can be even more dangerous than the sun. Experts estimate that twenty minutes under a sunlamp is the equivalent to four hours in the sun.

Light from the sun contains UVA and UVB. Some of these rays are filtered out by the ozone layer. Light produced from sun beds mainly produce UVA which penetrates through the skin deeper.

They do not produce as much UVB as the sun. Those who tan via a sun bed are less likely to protect themselves against the radiation with sun cream therefore they are very prone to succumbing to skin cancer.