Added: 01/05/2006 |
Brown-skinned persons are Warned by DermatologistsExposure to the sun, we hear, causes skin cancer, assorted other skin problems, wrinkles. Problems of how to get a healthy tan and not to hazard provoking skin cancer development seems to be discussed by fair skinned people only.
The problem of skin color is very old, if not to say ancient- at least 3 hundred years people are concerned with the problems why there are brown-skinned persons as well as pale and fair- haired ones and yellow skinned.
The reason lies in "melanin"- a pigment in the skin of a person. This very substance determines the color of the dermis, and the more melanin people have the darker their skin is. Brown-skinned persons have an ability to absorb UV. Thus it is a natural sunscreen, and is probably the reason that dark- skinned persons have a tenth of the skin cancer rate of fairer folks.
But still the main role plays the color of the skin but not the place of birth - some Indians, Pakistanis and Afghans have very light skin and eyes, which may indicate that their risk factors are similar to those of Southern Europeans (Italians, Spanish, Greeks). So you see it doesn`t mean that brown-skinned persons are outside the ?risk-group?, though they really needn`t protecting the skin as thoroughly as Caucasians do. People with darker skin are still vulnerable to the ultraviolet A rays that cause wrinkling and other damage to the skin- warn dermatologists.
To most of with different shades of skin brown, it is not obvious whether the risk to have skin cancer is as high as for other people.Concerning brown skinned persons, there was previously thought that the effects of the sun were absolutely non- damaging for them, because they had more melanin pigment in their skin. While it's true that African Americans, Native Americans, Asians and Latinos may seem to have more protection from ultraviolet B rays because of melanin, brown ?skinned persons can still get sunburn to some degree. People with darker skin tones are still vulnerable to the ultraviolet A rays that cause wrinkling and other damage to the skin- explain dermatologists. Apart from cancer, sun exposure will also eventually cause everyone to wrinkle, though this effect is also less for brown-skinned persons. This wrinkling is called "premature aging", and skin becomes thick, wrinkled and leathery - a very sad show.
But you can avoid it by using sun protection, the most primitive (and the best one) is to avoid direct sun rays. Especially at a time the sun radiation the most intensive- in the middle of the noon. Unfortunately, there was no profound research on sun protection for brown -skinned persons, but even those which were led dealt with fair-skinned subjects.
Several studies have noticed racial differences in skin cancer rates but the fact of the cancer development itself warns brown-skinned persons.
Though the SPF level of sun protection is adapted for fair-skinned people, I still advise you to use "broad-spectrum" sunscreens(most recommendations on SPF of 6-15 for skin brown). Whatever your skin colour, sunscreen may be a good idea if you're planning extended intense sun exposure, such as a day at the beach.
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