sunbathing
A sunbathing , even exposure to sunlight , light bath or heliotherapy called, refers to the deliberate exposure of sunlight on the uncovered body for therapeutic purposes. The human body can use ultraviolet light (UV-B) to cover part of its need for vitamin D itself.
history
Even ancient doctors knew and recommended the healing properties of sunlight. This light treatment was rediscovered from 1770 and sunbathing was increasingly used against numerous diseases and for prophylaxis.
Medical sunbathing
As heliotherapy the sunlight irradiation for medical purposes (see also refers to physical therapy ). The infrared rays develop a warming effect and the blue to ultraviolet rays, which are particularly present in the high mountains and by the sea, have a chemical-biological effect. The use of heliotherapy is particularly indicated for tuberculous skin diseases and bone tuberculosis. As a general effect, moderate use should result in increased appetite, better blood circulation, increased blood regeneration and an increase in resistance. Following this credo, the pioneers of heliotherapy such as Oskar Bernhard and Arnold Rikli opened spa facilities specially designed for light therapy in the 19th century. The Danish doctor Niels Ryberg Finsen received the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1903 for the treatment of diseases using light rays.
Application and effect
Sun baths must be taken in slowly increasing doses; Reddened skin and heat build-up are to be avoided. The UV-B radiation tans the skin . Under their influence, cells in the epidermis ( melanocytes ) produce melanin , which protects the skin from damage to the DNA of the cell nucleus. Even short-term sunbathing triggers a medically effective reaction in the body. Short, frequent intervals are more effective and safer than rare, long exposures.
It should be noted that the intensity of the radiation increases with the decrease in cloud cover, lower air pollution, closer proximity to the equator and higher position of the location, the sunbathing time must be shortened accordingly. The sun should be avoided between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Sunbathing after 3 p.m. with less radiation intensity leads to less damage to health and a longer-lasting tan.
Excessive sunbathing is associated with a higher risk of light-induced skin aging and skin cancer . A sunburn and avoid any long-term damage, are sunscreen recommended. Sunscreen with a sun protection factors to protect from 6 to 70+ against both UV-A and UV-B radiation against. A protection factor recommendation can be determined from the UV index and individual data.
distribution
Sunbathing is preferred in the garden , on the balcony or terrace and in nature. You can sunbathe naked or partially clothed. The nude sunbathing allows for maximum effect over tan and is nudist mostly unopposed equipment standard in the great outdoors.
alternative
A popular alternative to natural sun baths is the solarium . Here the body skin is tanned with artificially produced UV light. As in the natural sun, it should also be ensured here that the erythema threshold dose is not reached. In the case of carefully managed tanning salons with professionally trained employees, this can be calculated in minutes for every skin type on a specific solarium. Both UVA radiation (responsible for darkening existing pigments in the skin) and UVB radiation (responsible for the formation of new pigments) are used in the solarium.
Skin cancer
The German Cancer Aid recommends a “health-conscious use of the sun” in order to reduce the risk of skin cancer and to spare people suffering. Every year in Germany around 207,000 people develop white skin cancer (basal cell cancer 137,000, squamous cell carcinoma 70,000). The frequency of black skin cancer (malignant melanoma) is recorded for all of Germany in the Center for Cancer Registry Data at the Robert Koch Institute . In 2010, 19,220 people (9,640 men and 9,580 women) developed malignant melanoma and 2,711 people died from it. According to experts, UV radiation is the greatest risk factor for this tumor disease. Every sunburn increases the risk of skin cancer . Comprehensive sun protection is therefore important. Certain experts in this field therefore recommend using a sunscreen with a sun protection factor of at least 30. People with naturally red or blonde hair and blue eyes are even recommended an SPF of 50 in order to be adequately protected when sunbathing.
Addictive
Psychologists from the University of Texas (USA) conducted a survey of 150 "sunbathers" found abnormal behavior and compared them with those of alcohol and drug addicts. Evaluated according to various psychological criteria, a quarter to half of the sunbathers showed symptoms of dependence. This addiction-like behavior of excessive sunbathing is called tanorexia . The cause is speculated that the hormone endorphin is responsible for the unhealthy intensive consumption of sunlight.
literature
- Simone Tavenrath: So wonderfully tanned . Small cultural history of sunbathing. Jonas, Marburg 2000, ISBN 3-89445-258-7 .
Individual evidence
- ^ DIE ZEIT Das Lexikon, Vol. 13 P. 512, 2005, ISBN 3-411-17573-7
- ↑ Recommendation for the SPF
- ↑ skin cancer. Rethink! Actively preventing cancer. In: krebshilfe.de. German Cancer Aid, archived from the original on April 14, 2011 ; Retrieved April 14, 2011 .
- ^ Robert Koch Institute (editor): Krebs in Deutschland 2009/2010. 9th edition, 2013, pp. 60ff. (accessed on May 19, 2014).
- ↑ Eight Dangerous Misconceptions About Sunbathing. In: Die Welt Online , June 9, 2012.
