Article Translations: (Spanish)
To many people, summer means hanging out at the pool or the beach, soaking up rays in pursuit of a golden tan. But before you put on your bathing suit and head to the pool (or pay for a bed or booth in a tanning salon), there are a few things to think about when it comes to your skin and sun exposure.
The sun's rays contain two types of ultraviolet radiation that reach your skin: UVA and UVB. UVB radiation burns the upper layers of skin (the epidermis), causing sunburns.
UVA radiation is what makes people tan. UVA rays penetrate to the lower layers of the epidermis, where they trigger cells called melanocytes (pronounced: mel-AN-oh-sites) to produce melanin. Melanin is the brown pigment that causes tanning.
Melanin is the body's way of protecting skin from burning. Darker-skinned people tan more deeply than lighter-skinned people because their melanocytes produce more melanin. But just because a person doesn't burn does not mean that he or she is also protected against skin cancer and other problems.
UVA rays may make you tan, but they can also cause serious damage. That's because UVA rays penetrate deeper into the skin than UVB rays. UVA rays can go all the way through the skin's protective epidermis to the dermis, where blood vessels and nerves are found.
Because of this, UVA rays may damage a person's immune system, making it harder to fight off diseases and leading to illnesses like melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer. Melanoma can kill. If it's not found and treated, it can quickly spread from the skin to the body's other organs.
Skin cancer is epidemic in the United States, with more than 1 million new cases diagnosed every year. Although the numbers of new cases of many other types of cancer are falling or leveling off, the number of new melanoma cases is growing.
In the past, melanoma mostly affected people in their fifties or older, but today dermatologists see patients in their twenties and even late teens with this type of cancer. Experts believe this is partly due to an increase in the use of tanning beds and sun lamps, which have high levels of UVA rays. Getting a sunburn or intense sun exposure may also increase a person's chances of developing this deadly cancer.
Exposure to UVB rays also increases your risk of getting two other types of skin cancer: basal and squamous cell carcinoma.
The main treatment for skin cancers is cutting the tumors out. Since many basal or squamous cell carcinomas are on the face and neck, surgery to remove them can leave people with facial scars. The scars from surgery to remove melanomas can be anywhere on the body, and they're often large.
Cancer isn't the only problem associated with UV exposure. UVA damage is the main factor in premature skin aging. To get a good idea of how sunlight affects the skin, look at your parents' skin and see how different it is from yours. Much of that is due to sun exposure, not the age difference!
UV rays can also lead to another problem we associate with old people: the eye problem cataracts.
Staying out of the sun altogether may seem like the only logical answer. But who wants to live like a hermit? The key is to enjoy the sun sensibly, finding a balance between sun protection and those great summer activities like beach volleyball and swimming.
Sunscreens block or change the effect of the sun's harmful rays. They're one of your best defenses against sun damage because they protect you without interfering with your comfort and activity levels.
The SPF number on a sunscreen shows the level of UVB protection it gives. Sunscreens with a higher SPF number provide more defense against the sun's damaging UV rays.
Here are some tips to enjoy the great outdoors while protecting your skin and eyes from sun damage:
Other things to know when it comes to avoiding sun damage:
Even when you're serious about protecting your skin, you may sometimes want the glow of a tan. Luckily, many products on the market — but not sun lamps or tanning beds — will let you tan safely and sun-free.
One safe way to go bronze is with sunless self-tanners. These "tans in a bottle" contain dihydroxyacetone (DHA), which gradually stains the dead cells in your skin's outer layer. The "tan" lasts until these skin cells slough off, so exfoliating or vigorously washing will make the color fade faster. Typically, self-tanners last from several days to a week.
You may have to try a few brands of self-tanner to find one that looks best with your skin tone. For a subtle, goof-proof glow, try moisturizers that contain a modest amount of fake tanner, letting you gradually build up a little color without blotches and staining — or the smell that some people dislike. All of these options are cheap, too, usually around $10.
Ask a friend to help you apply self-tanner to spots you can't reach, like your back. And be sure to wash your hands as soon as you finish applying the tanner. Areas of your body that don't normally tan (like the palms of your hands or soles of the feet) just look dirty if you leave tanner on them.
With self-tanners, you get better results if you exfoliate your skin with a scrub brush or loofah before the tanner is applied. This evens your skin tone and removes dead skin cells.
If you use a sunless tanner, you'll need to wear plenty of sunscreen when you go outdoors to protect you from the sun's rays. Self-tanners don't generate melanin production, so they won't protect you against sunburn (and some scientists believe they might even make skin more susceptible to sun damage).
If you're thinking about using a sunless tanner, it's a good idea to avoid airbrush or spray-on tans. The FDA hasn’t approved DHA for use internally or on mucous membranes (like the lips). Spray tans may have unknown health risks because people can breathe in the spray, or the tanner may end up on their lips or eye area.
Note: All information is for educational purposes only. For specific medical advice, diagnoses, and treatment, consult your doctor.
© 1995-2025 KidsHealth ® All rights reserved. Images provided by iStock, Getty Images, Corbis, Veer, Science Photo Library, Science Source Images, Shutterstock, and Clipart.com