UV Rays

On the other hand, rays from the sun cause skin cancer; they tan and burn the skin, but can do long-term damage with no immediately visible effects. They also cause premature skin aging, cataracts, glaucoma—even damage to hair.

The Types

• UVA: These rays don't do any immediately visible damage, but they lurk in the deeper layers of skin where they do their damage.
• UVB: These are the culprits behind eye and skin damage.
• UVC: These never make it to the earth's surface to do any damage.

Benefits

The benefits of UV exposure are tied to its effect on the body's ability to utilize vitamin D. For more information, visit The Village News for their September 2005 article titled, Scientific Panel Discusses Benefits of UV Sun Exposure.

The Damage They Do

UVA rays, along with UVB rays, have been linked to melanoma. Not only that, but they tend to exacerbate the effects of the UVB rays on skin's health (or lack thereof). These are the rays that cause premature aging, wrinkling, leathering, and so on.

UVB rays are quite possibly the worst, but UVA rays are creeping up behind them on the danger scale as more and more sun knowledge comes to light. When it comes to your eyes, UVB rays can cause a temporary blindness that lasts 12 to 48 hours. Skiers should be especially careful, because this type of blindness is caused when UVB rays mix with snow and wind.

UVB rays are also the UV rays that are responsible for skin cancers. They cause the sunburns you can instantly see when you've spent too much time in the sun.

People rarely talk about UVC rays because they never even make it to the earth's surface to do any damage to humans.

How to Protect Yourself

You don't have to hide out indoors between sun-up and sundown. With a little extra effort, you'll be protected from UV rays all over. Just be sure not to miss any spots!

Your Eyes

Sunglasses are a must, but you have to be careful. They are not obligated to offer the ideal sun protection for your eyes, so it's up to you to be aware. Look for stickers or tags on the sunglasses that say they offer 100 percent UV protection.

Wearing sunglasses that don't offer the right amount of protection is actually worse for your eyes than wearing no sunglasses at all. But they cut glare, right? By creating shade for your eyes with no UV filter, it causes your pupils to dilate and allow more sunlight—UV rays—in. That equals more damage, not less.

An extra step you can take to protect your eyes from UV rays is wearing a hat. A hat can shield your eyes from the rays that may come in from above your sunglasses.

Your Skin

Sunblock or sunscreen is a must. Choose a full-spectrum sunblock (meaning it blocks both UVA and UVB rays) with at least SPF 15. That's for daily errands. For extended amounts of time, you'll need to bump the number up.

SunProtection.net has an excellent guide to choosing the right sunscreen for you. It dives in to describe the differences between different types of sunscreen, the ingredients to look for, and just how much protection each SPF number will give you.

Your Hair

Look for leave-in products that contain a UV filter. Also, wear a hat when you can to further block the rays from reaching your hair or your scalp.

Additional Warnings

• Don't think you're safe from UV rays on cloudy days. Just because the sun isn't bright, that doesn't mean there's nothing to shield yourself from.
• Sun damage is cumulative. You're not repaired completely just because your sunburn went away. Over the years, the sun damage you did as a child, teen, or young adult will become evident on your skin. Start protecting your skin and eyes today.