I’d like to make my annual plea for the liberal use of sunscreen
to protect all of us, young and old from the damaging effects of
the sun. Please understand that the “healthy” bronze tan color
that many people seek is actually how the skin demonstrates that
it has been damaged by the sun. The sun produces two types of
invisible light. One is ultraviolet A, which is the ray that
produces a tan but causes skin damage and aging — think wrinkles
and “old age” skin spots. The other is ultraviolet B, which
causes the uncomfortable sunburn. Both types can cause skin
cancer, especially the deadly melanoma. This year in the U.S.,
there will be about 76,000 new cases of melanoma, with about
9,000 deaths. These statistics can be reduced significantly by
protecting our skin from the sun. The damaging rays from the sun
are most intense between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. These
are my suggestions: - Always start the summer season with a new,
fresh tube of sunscreen. Price has nothing to do with
performance. - Use a sun