As an aspiring Mermaid, I love the sun just as much as everyone else and although a suntan can help make you feel better about yourself, it comes with huge risks…sun damage and skin cancer.
Since skin damage happens over time, its effects can start to appear as late as 20 to 30 years after sun damage first occurs. (Scary isn’t it!) So basically the more sun exposure you get, the more damage your skin will sustain. Sun worshipping with little or no protection in your teens and 20’s can lead to premature aging in your 30s and that is just the best case scenario.
Unfortunately, I am experiencing this first hand myself. I have hyperpigmentation patches on my forehead that looks very uneven when I am tan because the melanin in those areas appear much darker than the rest of my skin.
So what is melanin exactly? Melanin is the pigment that gives human skin, hair, and eyes their colour. Your body normally produces melanin to try and protect the deeper layers of your skin from damage by the sun.
So the reality is that the golden tan you desire is actually your skin changing colour and warning you that it’s getting damaged.
That is why it is so important to protect babies and children from the sun’s harmful rays and more importantly to educate them so that they can make informed choices as they reach their teens and adulthood.
Thankfully it is never too late to start a sun protection regimen, which is great news for people like me. In fact, according to the skin cancer foundation, you can help repair and possibly even reverse the signs of skin aging.
Did you know the sun alone can cause up to 90% of those signs!! Makes you look at tanning in a whole new light doesn’t it.
Concerned about wrinkles, hyperpigmentation and tough leathery looking skin? These are the signs of aging that can result from sun damage. Follow these simple guidelines on sun safety to prevent and even reverse some of the damage.
Why We Love Sun Safety (And You Should Too)
by Danielle Alinia
So what can we do to help stop and reverse sun damage?