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By Roy Stevenson ©istockphoto.com/webphotographeer It’s fun to exercise outdoors when the sun is shining. Exercise enhances oxygen flow to the skin, flushes impurities from its surface and promotes production of oil, your skin’s natural moisturizer. For good health we need natural sunlight to prevent depression in the winter and to activate vitamin D, which increases bone density. Some research even shows that sunlight has a protective effect against hypertension and some autoimmune diseases. But there’s a downside to spending many hours hiking, running, swimming, cycling, kayaking, canoeing and boating—people that do experience a higher incidence of skin damage and skin cancers than people who work out indoors. High levels of sweating and lack of protective clothing don’t help either. A recent study found that sweat contributes to UV damage by increasing the sensitivity of your skin, making you more susceptible to sunburn. How does skin damage happen? Melanin—A Warning of Skin Damage The sun’s ultraviolet rays cause more skin damage than any other factor, in many ways. A brown pigment named melanin, found in the epidermis, is produced when skin is exposed to sunlight—giving us a tan. Melanin protects the skin by absorbing, reflecting and scattering ultraviolet radiation before it penetrates the dermis, or underlying skin. However, melanin can’t prevent all the negative effects of the sun and often indicates damage. Dry Skin and Skin Cell Damage The sun’s heat dries out unprotected skin and depletes the skin’s supply of natural lubricating oils, causing dry skin. It’s important to stay hydrated because skin loses its elasticity in people with severe dehydration. Dry skin looks flaky and prematurely wrinkled, even in younger people. Skin cell damage from excess UV rays includes actinic keratosis, a possible warning symptom of cancer, cell membrane damage and reduced immune system reactions—sounds scary doesn’t it?
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