Sunsmart Program

Everybody has their own natural skin color, and maintaining this color is healthy and beneficial for the body. But any tanning can harm the DNA of the skin cells, and this DNA alone is insufficient in protecting the skin against the sun's UV rays.

:Uncontrolled sun exposure causes

• Immediate damage, such as sunburns and freckles.
  
  
• Cumulative and long-term health damage such as:
  
  

 Wrinkles and premature aging of the skin.

 Multiple skin blemishes.

 Pre-cancerous lesions.

• Skin cancer - most of the cases of this disease diagnosed in Israel each year are related to sun exposure.  Sunburns increase the risk of developing malignant melanoma, which is the most dangerous skin cancer.
  
  
• Excessive Vitamin D production increases the tendency to develop kidney stones (according to current information no more than 10 min. of sunlight is required to produce the proper amount of Vitamin D for calcium production) When individuals suffer from Vitamin D deficiency they may take it in a pill or liquid form with a prescription from the physician without endangering themselves as a result of overexposure to the sun).
  
  
• Cataracts.  

• Skin Cancer is preventable, and early detection is imperative. Early detection and treatment enable high chances of a cure!

 

Signs that should be noted: 

• Appearance of a new beauty mark (like a flat or lumpy blemish) that continually grows in size.
  
  

• Change in size, height, color or shape of a mole or a beauty mark that a person has on their body.
  
  
• An incurable ulcer (wound).

• Should you notice these signs, please contact your physician.

 

Sunsmart® behaviour:

It is preferable to avoid sun exposure from 10 am to 4 pm, when UV index levels are at their highest.  When exposed to uncontrolled UV rays it is important to take the following cautionary measures:

• Clothing - cover the body as much as possible (long-sleeved shirt and pants). Tightly woven material such as cotton provides maximal protection against UV rays. 
   
• Hat - wear a wide-brimmed hat to protect the face, the eyes, the neck and the nape of the neck from UV rays.
  
  
• Sunglasses - wear high quality sunglasses that offer UV protection.
  
  
• Sunscreen - use a 30 SPF sunscreen that also provides UVF protection on the parts of the skin that are exposed to the sun. Apply the sunscreen about a half an hour before going out. This is recommended for both women and men alike. 

• Please Note:

• The body perspires and loses fluids on hot days. In order to avoid dehydration and a queasy feeling, it is advised to drink large amounts of fluids. If you go to the beach, go before 10 am or after 4 pm, including during summer camp and vacation.

• For those who are young at heart, it is pleasant and more romantic to be at the beach towards sundown. It is advisable to spend the hot hours of the day in a shaded or air-conditioned place.

• When outside you should remain in the shade, under an umbrella, an awning, or trees. These may reduce the UV index levels by 50%. 

• The precautions listed above should also be taken due to the UV rays reflected from the environment, which penetrate the awning or umbrella (UVB- "tanning rays"). While driving in a car, it is advised to close the window blinds that block UV rays.  It is important, however, to protect the skin both with clothing and a sunscreen lotion. 

• Please Note:

• Aside from direct UV rays, you cannot ignore the additional UV rays that are reflected off the sand, the water, the swimming pool or the sea, and particularly, off the snow. UV rays also penetrate through the clouds.

• Tanning in tanning salons is definitely not recommended by any of the experts!  Today it is a known fact that tanning at such salons may be very hazardous to one's health, similar to the damage caused by the sun's UV rays, and particularly when exposure starts at a young age.

• Whoever cannot tan in the sun due to fair colored skin will not be able to tan at tanning salons either.

Kindly contact us, should you wish to contribute to this project. Please note that all donations received are transferred in full (no overhead is taken).

• Lili Biller Lev

Committees and Projects Manager

Telephone: +972-3-571.95.74

E-Mail: lilib@cancer.org.il