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Show Sun Facts and Fancies Too much sun can do more than give you a suntan. Years of overexposure may be harmful to your skin. Working or playing long hours in the sun may cause premature aging, wrinkling, leathery texture and precancerous precan-cerous skin conditions. This is especially true of blondes, redheads, fair-skinned people peo-ple and sunbelt dwellers. Solar keratoses, a condition con-dition which in some cases may become malignant, may result from too much exposure over a long period of time. Its symptoms include in-clude irregular, red, usually painless patches, usually on the hands and face. People who have such symptoms should see their doctors. If not treated in time, solar keratoses may lead to skin cancer, the most common form of cancer among people. peo-ple. A prescription drug from Hoffmann-La Roche is often prescribed with good results. It is available in solution and in cream forms. ilf you spend long hours in the sun, beware of skin damage. Only a physician can diagnose diag-nose solar keratoses and prescribe pre-scribe proper treatment. For most people with light skin, first exposure to the sun early in the season should not exceed ten to 15 minutes for each side, back and face. If you begin tanning tan-ning later in the summer, first exposure should be shorter, particularly if you start in a climate sunnier than the one in which you live. Increase exposure time by about a third each day. The time of day is also important. im-portant. The sun's burning rays are most intense between be-tween 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. |