| Learn Your Skin Type Before Sunbathing This Weekend |
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Summer Grimes, 19, Irish and English ancestry. Never tans, always burns. Avoids the sun; wears protective clothes; uses sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher. (SHNS photo by Tom Wallace/Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune.)
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By Jill Burcum
Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune Planning to soak up the sun during the long July 4th weekend? Don't head out without protecting your skin, dermatologists warn. According to skin doctors, there's no such thing as a healthy tan. Melanin, the pigment that turns skin bronze, is actually a sign of sun damage in lighter-skinned people, said Dr. Bruce Bart, a Minnesota dermatologist. Dark-skinned people are born with more melanin, which protects the skin from the sun. Sun protection includes the usual advice -- use sunscreen, wear protective clothing and know when the sun's rays are most harmful -- between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. But you may be unaware of another component -- knowing your skin type. The American Academy of Dermatology and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration categorizes sun sensitivity by six skin types. For a sunburn-free holiday, find your skin type and take care of it accordingly. - Type 1
The porcelain white complexion of Type 1 skin always burns and never tans. It is one of the groups at highest risk of skin cancer and is especially likely to show wrinkles. Type 1 people also tend to have red or pale blond hair, blue eyes or freckles, and many are of Irish, Scottish and Welsh ancestry. - Type 2
This skin is characteristically light. It burns easily, but can tan slightly after repeated exposure. Type 2 people are often fair-haired and blue-eyed. Often, they are of northern European ancestry. They are at high risk of skin cancer and are likely to show signs of aging early without proper sun protection. - Type 3
Those with darker white skin, those of mixed-race ancestry and some American Indians have Type 3 skin. Their skin sometimes burns, but tans to a gradual light bronze. However, their skin is still sensitive to the sun and long-term exposure can increase the risk of skin cancer and accelerate aging. - Type 4
This skin tans easily and rarely burns. People in this group include some Caucasians of Mediterranean ancestry, Southeast Asians, lighter-skinned Hispanics and many American Indians. People with Type 4 skin are not as likely to develop skin cancer as are Types 1, 2 and 3, but they still have some risk. - Type 5
Type 5 skin rarely burns and generally resists the sun's effects. This category includes people of Middle Eastern ancestry, some darker-skinned Hispanics, darker-skinned Asians from equatorial countries and lighter-skinned people of African ancestry. Skin cancer occurs in this group, but it is rare. - Type 6
Dark-skinned people of African ancestry make up Type 6. Their deeply pigmented skin almost never burns and skin cancer is extremely rare. It also resists the sun's aging effects. Dermatologists' advice varies on whether Type 6 people need to take protective measures, but generally they say it can't hurt to minimize sun exposure. Skin cancer can develop in this group on areas of the body with less melanin -- such as the palms and bottoms of the feet. (Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.shns.com.)
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