Health + Wellness — sun protection

What is Solar Urticaria? Solar urticaria (SU) is a rare skin condition characterized by hives, redness, and swelling of the skin. It is considered to be a form of light sensitivity and can result in pain and discomfort. It is caused by exposure to ultraviolet light and sometimes visible light. If you are susceptible you may even develop SU through light clothing. Researchers are not completely sure what causes solar urticaria, but it is believed that it is a type of allergic reaction to sunlight and/or other types of artificial light sources. It is classified as a physical urticaria. You...

Polymorphous Light Eruption Polymorphous light eruption, or PLE, is the most common skin disease caused by sunlight. It is also called polymorphic light eruption (PMLE). Other variants include juvenile spring eruption and benign summer light eruption. PLE is not the same as sunburn, but may appear as something like a sunburn rash. PLE arises spontaneously in people who are sensitive to ultraviolet light and is characterized as one type of photodermatosis. It usually manifests as an itchy rash—little red bumps or slightly raised patches of skin—after sun exposure in people who are photosensitive. While the rash can take different forms...

What Is Grape Seed Extract? Grapes have been cultivated and eaten for a long time. But grapes, along with other parts of the Vitis vinifera plant such as the leaves and sap, have also been used in traditional medicine in Europe for thousands of years. From the Egyptians to the ancient Greeks, the healing power of grapes and wine were realized, and grapes and grapevines were used to treat a variety of conditions including inflammation, pain, constipation, infections, and even various diseases. Today, grape seed extract is made primarily from the seeds of wine grapes. Grape seed extract has a...

There are many complicated implications of climate change, but one consequence that has been indisputably measured is the depletion of the ozone layer: the part of the atmosphere that protects us from cosmic radiation. You can argue about what exactly caused it, but not that it has happened. The depletion of the ozone layer has multiple effects on your health, primarily negative. Since exposure to sunlight causes damage to human tissue, less ozone layer leads to a higher incidence of skin and eye conditions, including skin cancer and eye lesions such as cataracts. Of course, there are numerous other consequences...

The sun emits radiation—in the form of electromagnetic rays—which reaches you here on earth. While the visible part of this spectrum lights up your world, other parts of the spectrum including ultraviolet B (UVB) and ultraviolet A (UVA) have varying effects. UVB rays cause you to tan and burn, and also stimulate the production of Vitamin D. UVA rays are longer in wavelength than UVB and penetrate deeper into your skin; while not burning you or tanning you, UVA may just be responsible for a greater share of the blame in the aging of your skin than UVB. Since there...