Am I safe from sunshine exposure so long as I use a strong sunblock?
Smoking 80 cigarettes per day is more harmful than smoking one cigarette per day. Unprotected sunshine exposure is more harmful than protected sunshine exposure. However, even smoking one cigarette per day is harmful to the human body and in the same way even filtered sunshine exposure is almost certainly harmful to human skin. In other words, I think it is reasonable to say that there is no such thing as absolutely safe sunshine exposure, however, this statement has to be balanced against the fact that we all enjoy outdoor activities, etc. My practical advice to patients is this – you should take whatever precautions you need to take (strong sunscreens, wearing appropriate teeshirts, or even staying indoors if required, in order to stop your skin from going red or irritable. This broad rule can be applied no matter what type of sunshine exposure you are anticipating, i.e. you may need to take much more rigorous precautions in one climate versus a different climate. A key area of impor
