Sunburn and Skin Damage
 The best thing you can ever do to keep your skin beautiful is to wear
sunscreen! But that's not all. Learn all you can about how the
environment affects your skin, skin cancer and more:
Here we review just why the sun can have devastating effects on your
skin -- from producing brown spots to causing wrinkles -- and how to
protect yourself with a sunscreen selected for your type of skin.
What Causes Sunburn and Skin Damage?
There
are two kinds of ultraviolet rays that reach the earth's surface:
ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB). UVB rays cause your skin
to show the signs of sunburn, but most sunscreens protect against them.
These rays also are partially screened out by the ozone layer, an
invisible shield that protects us from the sun. But over the years the
ozone layer has become thinner, so we're getting more exposure.
UVA rays don't burn your skin, but they do contribute the most damage.
They penetrate your skin more deeply and affect the cells on a
molecular level. That's why it's important to look for a sunscreen that
will protect you from both UVA and UVB rays. UVA damage results not
only in wrinkles and sagging skin, but also can cause skin cancer. And
UVA intensifies with altitude, so it's particularly important to
protect yourself when skiing or mountain climbing
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