The Healthy Way

Thursday, July 27, 2006

Natural ways to block the sun

Q: I am feeling like such a horrible mother. My four-year-old got a really bad sunburn, so bad that I had to take him to the hospital for a severe rash.

Will this permanently affect his skin because he is so young? How can I help his skin to heal naturally?

Signed, L.K

A: Dear L.K: Don't blame yourself, it happens to all of us at least once.

Parenthood is a tricky thing and we are allowed to make mistakes.

However, you should not allow it to happen again. History of sunburn from childhood does increase one's chances of developing skin cancer later on in life. The more times you burn, the higher the risk, but it doesn't happen right away and it is cumulative, so make sure he doesn't get burnt again.

To understand how vitamins and minerals can help shield you from sun damage, it helps to know how that damage comes about in the first place.

Sunlight exposes skin to two types of ultraviolet rays: UVA and UVB.

UVB rays are high-intensity rays absorbed by the surface of the skin.

They are the primary cause of sunburn and immediate skin damage. UVA rays are of lower intensity, but they penetrate below the skin's surface, causing long-term damage such as premature wrinkles.

Both types do significant damage by forming free radicals, unstable molecules that steal electrons from your body's healthy molecules to stabilize themselves. Though some free radicals are formed during everyday functions such as breathing, environmental stress factors such as sun exposure create additional droves of them.

Vitamin C is well known for its role as a collagen (skin tissue) builder when used topically. It's also a pretty impressive sun protectant, say the experts. But don't get it confused with sunscreen.

Sunscreen acts as a shield and absorbs ultraviolet light, where vitamin C is a photoprotectant. It possibly works by scavenging the free radicals caused by sun exposure.

Like vitamin C, vitamin E is a free radical scavenger. But unlike C, researchers believe E to be better for after-sun use, rather than pre-sun use, to soothe your skin. In fact, it's even effective if you apply it a half-day later, say researchers at the University of Western Ontario, but it's better to do it as soon as possible.

In studies using laboratory animals, the researchers found that vitamin E acetate, which converts to vitamin E in the body, prevented inflammation, skin sensitivity and skin damage when applied up to eight hours after UVB exposure. Unlike the usual prescriptions, when it comes to sunburn wearing your nutrients is often better than taking them.

Here are the doses some doctors say work best against sun damage:

Nutrient Daily Amount/ Application: Selenium 200 micrograms (l-selenomethionine); vitamin E 400 mg (d-alpha-tocopherol), taken before sun exposure 2,000 international units, taken as five divided doses for one or two days after sun exposure.

Topically: Vitamin C 10% lotion (Cellex-C); vitamin E 5%, 100% cream or oil, applied after sun exposure; zinc oxide as an ointment.

For a four-year-old child, I would not use daily vitamin E except for the first week after the sunburn and at a much-reduced dose. Depending on his weight, I would recommend no more than 200 mg of high-quality mixed tocopherols (Vit E) per day.

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Dr. Elena Krasnov is a registered Naturopathic Doctor and Clinic Director of the Toronto Naturopathic Clinic. Submit your questions online here