While the appeal of sunning comes from the relaxation and peace it brings to the healthy complexion among lighter skinned individuals, most people enjoys being out in the sun. It is ironic that only a few generations ago, the darkening of the skin was actually not a positive thing. It was looked down upon as a "farmers tan" and implied a lower status of living.
The notion was that if one had a tan, it was likely the result of manual labor outside, reflective of a lower station in life. Today the idea that farming is a lower echelon of living is ridiculous to most. Farming has assumed its rightful position as a respectable industry without which we would all be in big trouble. The tan once spurned has now become a multi-million dollar industry.
Places that boast both the sun and a coastal environment enjoy the profits of masses of individuals traveling to their location to enjoy the sun and surf. Spring break is nearly a rite of passage for the college crowd, and if one is to do spring break right, it has to be in the sun, preferably near a pristine beach. While there are a number of negative factors about this emphasis on sun and entertainment, there are benefits as well.
Exposure to the sun can be beneficial to our health. Most famously, the skin has the ability to produce vitamin D in significant quantities from exposure to sunlight. The often overlooked aspect of that health benefit is that it only requires 20 to 30 minutes of exposure for the body to work its magic. After that, one is entering the realm of exposure without health benefit. It is rarer for us to plan an activity in the sun, much less our spring break, which only lasts for 20 to 30 minutes. If we are going to the beach, we plan on staying there for a long period of time, perhaps even the whole day.
The shift from considering a tan and exposure to the sun something to be eschewed to the notion of the tan as a sign of a healthy active outdoors person has brought some health issues with it. We know that exposure to the sun has a negative effect on the skin. Even a few minutes of unprotected exposure to the sun on a daily basis can cause a phenomenon known as photo aging. This results in the appearance of freckles and age spots and causes the skin to appear rough and leathery, the opposite effect the youngster was shooting for while lying in the sun for a tan.
The worst thing that can happen to us as we enjoy ourselves in the sun is the specter of skin cancer. There are many types, of course, but the most common is basal cell carcinoma. This type of cancer can be treated and removed surgically with excellent possibilities of normal life afterward, but there is also the possibility of melanoma, which carries dire consequences. Because of this, the industrious world of business has created an entire industry of products designed specifically to protect us from the harmful radiation of the sun.
While there is an enormous selection of creams and ointments designed for our protection, they are not always pleasant. Going to the beach is supposed to be an exhilarating experience where we play and get tanned without detraction. But when we have to oil ourselves up to protect from the UV rays, we experience the sand sticking to our skin and the general unpleasantness of being oily. In addition, most that play in the sand also enjoy the surf, and even products which tout their resistance to water do wash off, leaving us once again exposed. A simple way to avoid these unpleasant side effects is to use shade sails, which provide protection from the sun without having to apply anything to the skin.
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To find out more about sail shades as well as the wonderful advantages they offer in Ultraviolet protection, make sure you go to additional useful on-line resources. For the French marketplace probably the most beneficial and educational sites is called Voile d'Ombrage , which is among the words and phrases the French make use of to describe sail shades.