- With Mayo Clinic dermatologist
Lawrence E. Gibson, M.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
Lawrence E. Gibson, M.D.
Lawrence E. Gibson, M.D.
Dr. Lawrence Gibson likens bad health information on the Internet to food poisoning.
Consumers, he said, need to be aware, and will find reliable information at MayoClinic.com.
Dr. Gibson, a Covington, Ky., native, has been with Mayo since 1986 and is board certified in dermatology, dermatopathology and immunodermatology. He is a professor of dermatology at Mayo Medical School and a consultant in the Department of Dermatology.
Dr. Gibson has been director of the Dermatopathology Laboratory since 1998 and chair of the Laboratory Division in the Department of Dermatology since 2000. He is especially interested in inflammatory disorders of the skin and lymphoma affecting the skin.
"Electronic information is becoming a staple in the diet of a health conscious society," he said. "It's important to avoid misinformation and provide a credible source for health information. Using this analogy, it's critical to avoid 'indigestion' or worse yet, 'food poisoning' by the ingestion of tainted information."
Treatments and drugs (1)
- Sunburn treatment: What works?
Prevention (4)
- Tanning: Does a 'base tan' prevent sunburn?
- Does sunscreen expire?
- Sun-protective clothing: Worth the expense?
- see all in Prevention
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Question
Tanning: Does a 'base tan' prevent sunburn?
I'm leaving soon on a vacation to Florida. A friend of mine advised me to go to a tanning salon before my trip, to help prevent sunburn. Is this recommended?
Answer
from Lawrence E. Gibson, M.D.
Many people go to tanning salons to get a so-called "base tan" before leaving on a beach vacation. The theory behind this is a few sessions of indoor tanning will protect your skin from sunburn in a sunny climate. But there's little evidence that this is true.
Tanning under the sun or a sunlamp gives protection that is equivalent to a sun protection factor (SPF) of 4 or less, which translates into a little extra time in the sun before you start to burn. But the larger issue is that any change in skin color is a sign of damage from ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Repeated exposure to UV radiation — whether from the sun or a tanning bed — increases your risk of premature skin aging and skin cancer.
To prevent sunburn and other skin conditions, use all three of these sun protection methods:
- Avoid the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Because the sun's rays are strongest during these hours, try to schedule outdoor activities for other times of the day. Seek shade whenever possible. If you're unable to avoid being in the sun, limit the amount of time you're outdoors during these peak hours.
- Cover up. Wear tightly woven clothing that covers your arms and legs and a broad-brimmed hat, which provides more protection than does a baseball cap or golf visor. Also, consider wearing clothing or outdoor gear specially designed to provide sun protection.
- Use sunscreen frequently and liberally. Apply sunscreen liberally 30 minutes before going outdoors and reapply about every two hours — sooner if it's washed away by perspiration or water.
Some individuals have medical conditions, such as polymorphous light eruption, that may require small, incremental exposures to UV light before a winter vacation to prevent flare-ups. Talk to your doctor before beginning a regimented sunbathing program if you need to treat or prevent a skin condition.
Next questionDoes sunscreen expire?
- Brice S, et al. Sunburn. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed May 13, 2009.
- The sun and your skin. American Academy of Dermatology. http://www.aad.org/public/publications/pamphlets/sun_sun.html. Accessed May 13, 2009.
- Sivamani RK, et al. The benefits and risks of ultraviolet tanning and its alternatives: The role of prudent sun exposure. Dermatology Clinics. 2009;27:149.
- Levine JA, et al. The indoor UV tanning industry: A review of skin cancer risk, health benefit claims, and regulation. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 2005;53:1038.
- Hawk JL, et al. Abnormal responses to ultraviolet radiation: Idiopathic, probably immunologic, and photo-exacerbated. In: Wolff K, et al. Fitzpatrick's Dermatology in General Medicine. 7th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2979797. Accessed May 14, 2009.
