A star named Sun

It is known that 40% of Russians are more or less susceptible to depression of the “overcast sky”, so sunlight and heat, better than any newfangled medicine, can have a beneficial effect on their emotional state. Having appeared under hot rays, they, as a rule, start sunbathing tirelessly, forgetting that the sun is insidious.

In the divine rays
People have learned to use the energy of the Sun for their own benefit since time immemorial, although due to the scarcity of knowledge, the reason for its therapeutic effects on the body for a long time remained beyond understanding. The first version of the method of heliotherapy appeared in ancient Egypt. The basis of the treatment was the energy of Ra – the sun god.

Air baths and freshly squeezed fruit juice were prescribed to sick and weakened people to maintain their vitality, in which, according to the healers, the “juice of Ra” accumulated the most.
But it was only at the end of the 19th century that scientific studies of the nature of solar radiation and its effects on humans made it possible to include heliotherapy in a number of traditional methods of preventing and treating various diseases, and later to make it an integral part of medical climatology.

Solar treatments are one of the most enjoyable forms of health restoration. They help to enhance mental and physical performance, strengthen the autonomic nervous system, improve metabolism, blood formation, endocrine activity, increase the adaptive capacity of the body. Their value is also invaluable for the synthesis of vital vitamin D, which is primarily necessary for the formation of bone tissue. Observations carried out in the Russian Scientific Center of Restorative Medicine and Health Resort Healthcare, have shown that people who have sunbathing included in the complex of rehabilitation measures have a higher resistance to various infections and colds. The fact is that ultraviolet activates the function of phagocytes – cells that are the defenders of the body from bacteria and viruses. However, the benefits in all its manifestations can only be talked about when the exposure to sunlight is strictly metered.

Experts of the same Science Center, after testing the state of health of students after a holiday in Sochi, noted that those who “roasted” on the beach all day long had pronounced depression of the immune system, which persisted for a year. Thus, when exposed to the sun, an almost paradoxical effect is observed: from stimulation of the immune system to its reduction.

Thermogram of a burn of a back. The hottest areas are black, then red, blue and blue. Beauty is a terrible power.
For some, concern about maintaining a bronze tan throughout the year turns into a serious addiction. This manic passion, which is most susceptible to the inhabitants of northern latitudes, was called tanorexia (from the English. «Tan» – tan). Psychologists are sure that the next fashionable fad is a peculiar way of self-affirmation. One 15-year-old Englishwoman, who visits the solarium every day in the winter, and in the summer “frying” herself on the resort’s beaches, admitted: “I know that I’m already hooked, but I can’t do anything with myself. Only this gives me a sense of confidence. ” The fashion for tanning was due to the fact that the British Medical Association and the Cancer Research Institute, concerned about the health of the younger generation, achieved the introduction of a formal ban on visiting tanning beds by teenagers under 16 years of age. The adoption of such measures are considered and US lawmakers. However, it is unlikely that taboos will be able to solve this problem; rather, on the contrary, they will only exacerbate it. A more accurate way is a properly constructed educational work, which clearly demonstrates the negative effects of sun love.
Bad good ultraviolet
In the solar spectrum emit ultraviolet and infrared rays. Infrared – warmth coming from the sun, which we feel perfectly. The ultraviolet light invisible to us accounts for only 5% of the total radiation, but it is it that affects the skin.

UV radiation is heterogeneous in its effects and is divided into three types. Until recently, the shortest and most dangerous UVC rays with a wavelength of up to 280 nm, which are capable of causing mutations and skin neoplasms, were delayed by the ozone layer and did not reach the Earth. But, unfortunately, its destruction and the appearance of ozone “holes” greatly reduce the reliability of this cordon.

Epidermis incision with sunburn. The upper layer consists entirely of destroyed cells; in the lower layer, they are visible in the form of pink clusters. The UVA clouds, the longest (320–400 nm), do not cause any burns or other tangible human symptoms. Therefore, they were considered completely harmless and were well-accounted for by dermatologists until it was found that, penetrating into the deeper layers of the skin, they disrupt the synthesis of collagen and elastin.