Sun Exposure—Skin Conditions

Also called: Cutaneous disorders, Dermatologic disorders

Your skin is your body’s largest organ. It covers and protects your body. Your skin

• Holds body fluids in, preventing dehydration
• Keeps harmful microbes out, preventing infections
• Helps you feel things like heat, cold, and pain
• Keeps your body temperature even
• Makes vitamin D when the sun shines on it

Anything that irritates, clogs, or inflames your skin can cause symptoms such as redness, swelling, burning, and itching. Allergies, irritants, your genetic makeup, and certain diseases and immune system problems can cause rashes, hives, and other skin conditions. Many skin problems, such as acne, also affect your appearance.

NIH: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases

• Acrodermatitis (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Cryotherapy (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Cutaneous skin tags (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Dry skin — self-care (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Erythema multiforme (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Granuloma annulare (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Keratosis pilaris (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Lichen planus (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Milia (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Sebaceous cyst (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Seborrheic keratosis (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Skin lesion removal (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Skin lesion removal-aftercare (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Stasis dermatitis and ulcers (Medical Encyclopedia)

Also called: Sunburn

Ultraviolet (UV) rays are an invisible form of radiation. They can pass through your skin and damage your skin cells. Sunburns are a sign of skin damage. Suntans aren’t healthy, either. They appear after the sun’s rays have already killed some cells and damaged others. UV rays can cause skin damage during any season or at any temperature. They can also cause eye problems, wrinkles, skin spots, and skin cancer.

To protect yourself

• Stay out of the sun when it is strongest (between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.)
• Use sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher
• Wear protective clothing
• Wear wraparound sunglasses that provide 100 percent UV ray protection
• Avoid sunlamps and tanning beds

Check your skin regularly for changes in the size, shape, color, or feel of birthmarks, moles, and spots. Such changes are a sign of skin cancer.

Food and Drug Administration

• Actinic keratosis (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Polymorphic light eruption (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Sunburn (Medical Encyclopedia)