The most powerful of the two great luminaries created by God in the first days of creation was the sun, this natural light which illuminates and warms our blue planet, is almost indispensable to life on earth. Its enthusiasm, its warmth, its charm are such that it triggers the wonder of poets like Alphonse de Lamartine (Hymn to the sun), Charles Baudelaire (harmony of the evening) and Paul Verlaine (Sunset) so much so that the latter in his collection, the flowers of evil, wrote:
“A tender heart, which hates the vast and black nothingness,
Of the luminous past collects all vestige!
The greatest light has multiple virtues, it can be considered as an anti stunting drug thanks to its ability to produce in the skin the precursor of vitamin D, it is also an antiseptic by its ability to kill microbes, an antihypertensive and a natural anti-stress thanks to the secretion of endorphins, a hormone of well-being. The sun is also an important and unavoidable element of the water cycle and ensures its renewal. It is composed of several types of radiation ranging from visible to invisible, including ultraviolet A, B, C. gamma rays and infrared.
With the greenhouse effect and the continuous destruction of the ozone layer that results, the benefits of the sun tend to be eclipsed. The greenhouse effect, by analogy with the greenhouse, is therefore this phenomenon that traps the sun’s rays that come to warm the earth, which by corollary becomes a determining element of global warming. In some parts of the world (between the Tropic of Cancer and Capricorn), temperatures are close to 40-50 degrees Celsius, so the sun is seen as a threat despite its benefits.
If ultraviolet C rays do not reach the earth, ultraviolet A and B rays, the most dangerous ones, regardless of the seasons, reach us in quantity. The ultraviolet B, the most carcinogenic, blocked by the windows, are maximum between 11 AM and 3 PM, as for the ultraviolet A which crosses the windows, are present all day. Infrareds are responsible for the heat felt and reinforce the deleterious effects of ultraviolet A and B.
If the sun is beneficial for some, it is also a nightmare for many, especially those who suffer from sun-sensitive diseases (photosensitive) such as lupus, xeroderma pigmentosum, dermatomyositis, lucites, solar urticaria etc. ….
To understand the harmful effects of the sun on the skin, just compare the skin on your face to the skin on your abdomen (belly) or your thigh and you will see that, paradoxically, we age first in the areas exposed to the sun. To counteract its evils while delivering its benefits, it is important to protect yourself from its carcinogenic rays. Sun protection has become mandatory regardless of age, geographical location, gender and race. Young children are particularly sensitive to ultraviolet rays, and need maximum protection because the damage of the sun’s rays on their skin is much more severe due to the absorption capacity of their skin. According to R.P. Gallagher et al (1995), skin cancer is correlated to skin tone but also to sun exposure. That said, the lighter one is, naturally or artificially (use of depigmenting agents), the more protection is needed. Of course, having a white skin is a high risk compared to a black skin, even if melanin is not a white card to be exposed to the sun. Sun protection is all the more necessary if you have a lot of nevi (envy, mole or birthmark) with diameters greater than 6 mm.
Construction professions such as: carpenters, electricians, public works technicians in general require maximum sun protection.
But how to protect yourself? There are at least three (3) ways. First of all, the sun avoidance which consists in avoiding the sun rays is necessary for those who suffer from diseases sensitive to the sun (photosensitive), the clothing photoprotection which consists in protecting oneself with the clothes particularly the polyester, the medicinal photoprotection which consists in the application of creams, lotions, sprays or pills which block the solar rays and their effects. Make-up should also be de-dramatized because it is also part of a good protection but the products should be chosen according to the type of skin.
According to Boyd & al (1995) and Hannaycome & al (1990) sunscreens are able to prevent the effects of photoaging and skin cancers. One of the difficulties in using sunscreens is their price. How can you ask a construction technician to buy a sunscreen worth a quarter of his salary? Short of sunscreens, employees can opt for clothing protection, although the nature and type of clothing is a consideration. Knowing what dose of sunlight can cause cancer is quite difficult but what is certain is that the absorption of ultraviolet rays is different from one individual to another and the dosage is cumulative. It would be necessary to do studies among outdoor workers to determine the damage and risks caused by the sun while demanding more protection for them. The lack of studies on the carcinogenic risks of the sun’s rays on black skin is obvious, but blacks are not exempt from melanoma, the cruelest form of skin cancer. Educating an ignorant employee about the risk he or she faces is first and foremost a civic responsibility and exposing him or her without warning must also be a crime. This is the Weber ethic of responsibility.
In conclusion, sun protection is necessary for everyone, and is all the more necessary if in your family there have been cases of skin cancer, if you work in the sun, if you use depigmenting creams or soaps, if your phototype is light or if you suffer from sun allergies. Knowing what type of protection a person needs is the job of a dermatologist who will analyze the phototype, risks, medications, profession and decide which protection is the most appropriate.
The sun, although important for the balance of our planet, is the number one enemy of our eternal youth, our health in general and our skin in particular. So start today to put on sunscreens or adequate clothing and you will have a skin less damaged by the sun’s rays even if a great dilemma exists on sunscreens, between protecting your health or your environment because they are harmful to corals. To be continued.
Roldan Célestin, Dermatologist, Professor of Dermatology and Venereal Diseases, Specialist in Community Health, Master in Population and Development.