| For once, some good news for sun worshipers. | | | | in provoking acne, produces an inflammation |
| Investigators at the Harvard-affiliated Dana Farber | | | | taming agent called porphyrin. These porphyrins |
| Cancer Institute in Boston provided reasons to be | | | | can in reduce the presence of Langerhans cells in |
| less paranoid about tanning. In an upcoming edition | | | | the skin. With fewer Langerhans cells circulating, |
| of the Harvard Health Letter, researchers clarified | | | | an inflammatory response becomes less likely, as |
| that a suntan is the body's best effort to guard | | | | does the chances of experiencing acne lesions. |
| against the known cancerous effects of ultraviolet | | | | Most likely, skipping the sunscreen will leave you |
| (UV) light, not a mere symbol irreparable skin | | | | to inherit skin that looks like a dried up river. But |
| damage. | | | | when combined with adequate protection, the sun |
| As ultraviolet light penetrates the skin, it mutates | | | | transforms into serious skin care capable of |
| DNA. This mini mutation helps create that sun | | | | healing a body ravaged by acne. |
| kissed look that no tan-in-a-tube can emulate. | | | | Here's how to implement your own day-the-sun |
| While this is good news for seasonal beach bums, | | | | natural acne treatment: |
| it's spectacular news for acne sufferers. | | | | 1. Buy a non-pore clogging (noncomedogenic) |
| For years, tanning has served as an anecdotal | | | | sunscreen with at least an SPF of 45. |
| cure for acne. But who wants to treat acne with | | | | 2. Rub on the sunscreen according the |
| sunshine if this remedy could cause skin cancer | | | | manufacturer's instructions, which typically means |
| years later? Now that medical insights reveal | | | | applying the lotion 20 minutes prior to sun |
| sunbathing with an 45 SFP sunscreen significantly | | | | exposure. |
| reduces cancer risk, acne sufferers can enjoy a | | | | 3. Use the Environmental Protection Agency's |
| free solar acne treatment, minus the cancer | | | | website to check the UV Index in your area and |
| threat. | | | | ensure that you won't get seared on your tanning |
| Using the Sun as an Acne Treatment Acne lesions | | | | day. |
| can form from a motley of bodily processes | | | | 4. Enjoy the sun and watching those zits dissipate. |
| including hormonal fluctuations, dietary allergies, | | | | 5. After sunbathing, soothe your skin with an aloe |
| improper skin shedding and an encumbered | | | | vera gel. |
| immune system. | | | | Sources: |
| When acne pustules grow into large, inflamed and | | | | Harvard Health Publications. Could a Suntan be |
| painful lesions, it's because agents called | | | | Protective? Newswise, July 13, 2007. |
| Langerhans cells are responding to the irritating | | | | Hayami, Junji; Hiroyuki Okamoto, Akira Sugihara & |
| oils, hairs and debris trapped within the developing | | | | Takeshi Horio. Immunosuppressive effects of |
| pimple. | | | | photodynamic therapy by topical aminolevulinic |
| Yet something unorthodox happens when you put | | | | acid. The Journal of Dermatology; May 2007, vol |
| a pimple in the sun. The bacterium know as | | | | 34, no 5, pp 320-327. |
| Propionibacterium acnes, which is readily implicated | | | | |