Sunshine's threats were little known in youthful days

By Linda Miller

Published: June 18, 2006

When I was growing up, my summers were spent at the lake.

My family graduated from tent camping to a trailer to a cabin. My aunt and uncle and their two daughters were right along with us -- or maybe we were with them -- through each transition. Our families owned lake property across the road from each other on Cardinal Cove at Lake Texoma for years.

After my husband and I married, he enjoyed the lake as much as I did. We even bought a small sailboat and later, personal watercraft.

Those lake weekends, vacations and holidays are some of my favorite memories.

Decades ago, getting a suntan was one of my prime objectives. Luckily, I tanned easily, but the sun scorched both of my brothers' skin, turning it bright red before it bubbled, then peeled.

Back then, we knew little about skin cancer or how the sun was sucking the moisture out of our skin and making it ripe for wrinkles.

My mother and my aunt were wise, though. They loved the lake and all the joys that came with it. But they never took the sun at face value. They almost always wore wide-brim hats and T-shirts over their swimsuits, especially in the hottest part of the day.

We still giggle at family videos and pictures showing the two sisters on the beach or in the boat all covered up, not allowing the sun to get a shot at their delicate decollete or exposed shoulders. We should have followed their fashion and beauty lead.

In February, when my aunt died at 84, her porcelain skin was still smooth and beautiful with hardly a wrinkle. My mother's skin still looks pretty good, too.

I, on the other hand, am paying the price for loving the sun. Would I have wrinkles and sunspots if I hadn't slathered my body with tanning oil and baked in the sun for 20 years? Perhaps, but we do know the sun isn't the fountain of youth.

Of course, now I use sunscreen when I'm going to be outside. My moisturizer and foundation are pumped with protection, too.

I remind my daughter, who's 19 and loves the way she looks with a sun-kissed glow, to wear sunscreen and stay away from tanning beds. We didn't know about sun safety when I was her age. Now we do.

According to the American Cancer Society, there will be 62,190 new cases of melanoma skin cancer in 2006, a 4.3 percent increase over last year.

Bottom line: There is no safe way to tan, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. Every time you tan, you accumulate damage to the skin. This damage, in addition to accelerating the aging process, also increases your risk for all types of skin cancer, including melanoma.

Tanning booths aren't a safe alternative, either. Artificial radiation carries all the risks of natural sunlight, according to the academy.

So, if you're dying for a tan, go for one of the sunless methods or opt for a tinted moisturizer. And try to remember to slip on a hat and slap on some sunscreen when you're going to be in the sun.

It seems it has always been the safe thing to do.