Sure a tan looks great-even healthy. But a little bit goes a long way.

A small amount of skin pigment looks healthy because it is beneficial. However, lengthy hours of contact with the sun will lead to injury. When skin becomes inflamed with redness, you are wounded and melanin reserves are depleted, which suppresses your immunity.

Melanin is the pigment that flows naturally to the various cell layers, helping to protect and defend DNA. It is vital to maintain your body's melanin reserves. A dark tan is the skin's response to an injury and a warning that your melanin is depleted. Skin with a weak immunity leaves the DNA susceptible to sun damage, free radicals and skin cancer.

Every time you tan, you cumulate damage, accelerating the skin's aging process and increasing your risk for skin cancer. Recent studies show that avoiding sunburn is the surest way of preventing skin cancer.

I recently attended a convention regarding the affects of UV exposure. Dr. Johnson, from Colorado, and Dr. Harmer, from North Carolina, were reporting on research compiled from different groups of people using various forms of sun protection. Tissue  was observed by biopsy to ensure accurate clarification. The research indicated that after three hours of UV exposure the group with L-ascorbic acid had the least amount of inflammation, less than any other sunblock. The group adding a peptide from deep-sea algae came in second, and sunblock derived from minerals was third.

What I found most amazing about this information was that the group with chemical sunscreens had the highest level of inflammation after three hours. The underlying topic at the convention was trepidation regarding chemical sunscreens. Dr Robert Zone, a professor of bioengineering, explained that chemical sunscreens create a false sense  of protection as they do not reflect UV light. Instead, chemical sunscreens transform the light in the dermis and create an optical illusion that is void of visible redness. Chemically derived sunscreens are synthetic, cause free radicals to form on the surface of the skin and are absorbed into the bloodstream, where they further weakening immunity.

Mineral sunblocks are preferred, but on their own they are not stable and do not offer complete protection. Research has shown that sunscreens and sunblocks diminish rapidly when we are outdoors, and if we are not re-applying them every two hours, protection wears off.

Boosting your immunity by adding antioxidants such as L-ascorbic acid (vitamin C) to your diet and topically to your skin will build up a reservoir to defend against UV inflammation, and this is the best assurance of continuous protection against injury.

Research in Japan has shown that deepsea algae has the capacity to defend against UV light and pollution for up to 24 hours. As a final point, Dr. Pawleck, a Yale School of Medicine researcher, has shown that we can enhance our melanin production with biological extracts of vitamin E (D-tocopherol), phospholipids and aloe vera.

It is important to read your sun protection labels and realize that the term "sunscreen" is associated with chemical filters. Look for minerals from zinc, titanium, iron, bismuth or mica and be sure your product contains antioxidants, which are crucial to defend against inflammation over extended hours.

Karen V. Bowers has 33 years of natural skin health experience throughout Canada, the US and Europe. www.newvisage.ca

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