The dangers of prolonged exposure to the sun

Counting the days until you can flip your winter white skin over for a beautiful shade of tan? While we're in favor of 100% daily doses of fresh air and sunlight, here are five things you should be aware of as you prepare the family for a healthy and safe summer.

1) Short-term skin damage

You can get a sunburn in as little as 15 minutes, although it may not appear for two to six hours. This type of radiation burn comes from excessive exposure to ultraviolet light, or ultraviolet light. Redness of the skin often accompanies pain, ulceration, and, if severe enough, second-degree burns.

2) Long-term skin damage

Even if you don't burn often, prolonged exposure to UV rays over a lifetime accelerates the aging of your skin. You may start to see more wrinkles, dryness, sagging, and a dull, rough appearance. Pigment changes known as "age spots," and skin bruising appear more easily. Changes in skin cells caused by prolonged exposure may lead to skin cancer, the most common type of cancer.

It is especially important to protect your children from sunburn. Ultraviolet radiation increases the risk of three types of skin cancer: melanoma, basal cell carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma. However, sunburns that occur in childhood are often cited as posing the greatest risk of developing skin cancer later in life. The Skin Cancer Foundation warns:

Sustaining five or more sunburns in young adults increases the risk of skin cancer by 80%. On average, a person's risk of developing melanoma doubles if they have had more than five sunburns. “

3) heat stroke

A stroke may begin with heat cramps, fainting, or fatigue, but as it progresses, it can damage the brain and other internal organs, sometimes fatal. While it is usually considered adults over the age of XNUMX, healthy high school youth or athletes often undergo a life-threatening heat campaign while performing strenuous exercise in high temperatures.

When combined with dehydration, prolonged exposure to extreme heat causes the body's temperature control system to fail, causing the core body temperature to rise above 105 degrees Fahrenheit. Common symptoms of heat stroke include:

Dizziness and light-headedness

 Headaches

Vomiting and nausea

muscle cramps or weakness

Rapid heart rate and rapid breathing

Confusion, seizure, loss of consciousness, or coma

4) dehydration

Dehydration occurs when more water leaves our cells and bodies than the amount we take in through drinking. Fluid levels in our body become unbalanced, and severe dehydration can lead to death. If you notice that your urine is dark yellow, this is a good indication that you may be dehydrated.

Other signs of dehydration include:

Increased thirst, decreased urine production, and inability to sweat

Dizziness and weakness

Dry mouth and swollen tongue

Heart palpitations

Fainting, confusion, sluggishness

Encourage dehydrated adults and children to drink small amounts of water.

5) cells

Hives caused by exposure to sunlight are called solar urticaria. These large, itchy red wounds can develop within 5 minutes of exposure to sunlight and usually disappear within an hour or two after leaving the sunlight. People with this rare condition also experience headaches, weakness, and nausea. This hypersensitivity can be disabling and even life-threatening. Worldwide, 3.1 per 100.000 people are affected, and females are more likely to be affected than males.