SUN TAN

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXI, Issue 307, 11 December 1931, Page 8

SUN TAN

SHOULD BE CULTIVATED SLOWLY I DANGER OF LONG EXPOSURE. ; The sun tan that everyone tries ■ to cultivate during the summer ! should be acquired gradually. ‘ There are dangers In trying to secure it in one day’s lolling on the | beach sand, particularly with chilI dren. ! “Parents w-ho are taking their ehilI dren to the seaside for the summer I holidays should be especially careful s that the children, who have spent most I of the year indo s with clothes on. I should not be suddenly exposed to the j hot sun for long periods,” medical I authorities say. “Not only ar the I children likely to be sunburned, but | they may develop headache, feverishL ness, and general upset troubles.” , “There are, two things we get from the sun —heat and light,” a doctor . has said. “The chief benefit from th e health point of view comes from the light. Too much heat can be very harmful. “This can be confirmed by studying the habits of animals. On a cold but sunny day animals feed in the open and enjoy the sunshine. On hot sunny days aimals seik the shade. ’ This shows clearly that it is the light of the sun that instinct teaches them to set' and at the same time teaches them to avoid too much heat.” The practice of lying in the sun for long periods was very dangerous, because the body was likely to become overheated. The idea probably arose from the practice at sanatoria for children suffering from surgical tuberculosis. These children, being unable to move, had to take their sun-bath-ing lying down. Special methods had to be adopted there to meet special circumstances. For the • normal fit person the best results from sun-bathing were secured 1 from moving about without f clothes, not from lying stilL He thought much of the physical drill in schools should ■be done without clothes. This would assist in maintaining the health and promoting the development of the child. People sun-bathing, and particularly children, should take earo not to lie in a hot sun too long, and parts normally clothed should be exposed for only short periods at a time till a good tan was acquired. The skin that was normally clothed was very susceptible to sunburn, and this was likely to have very bad results on the health of the individual. Once the skin got a good tan, all danger of sunburn was eliminated. But “hasten slowly” should be the motto of all sun-bathers, including adults and particularly children.