Over the Sun.(the Burqini)

Over the Sun

It's uplifting and relaxing -- no wonder many of us crave the sun. Experts now explain how to get a little light without a lot of damage. By Rory Evans

it's called a Burqini. Unveiled last year, it's a mashup of a burka -- the modesty garment worn by devout Muslim women -- and a bikini, the immodesty garment favored by devout sun-worshippers. The Burqini is a two-piece swimsuit: A long-sleeved, hooded turtleneck tunic and bootleg pants fashioned from UV-blocking polyester. Aside from its two pieces, a bikini is none of those things. To the serious sunbather, any sun-protective measure -- a big ol' Bo Peep bonnet, a beach umbrella, an SPF higher than one's shoe size -- seems tantamount to wearing a Burqini. Indeed, a nationwide survey conducted this year found that nearly 30 percent of adults say they don't use sunscreen at all, despite the fact that 1.3 million new skin cancers are diagnosed each year in the United States, 90 percent of which are caused by sun exposure. "As dermatologists, we take a stand that you have to stay out of the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., wear sunscreen, don't tan -- and the message isn't working," says Vincent DeLeo, chairman of dermatology at St. Luke's-Roosevelt and Beth Israel Medical Centers in New York City. "We're fighting a lost battle. We have to be more realistic with the message, because you can't tell people to have a healthy lifestyle and, at the same time, tell them they can't go outside." So instead of ignoring the usual thou-shalt-nots because it all just seems like way too much (and not nearly enough fun!), a few doctors are offering an incremental plan for a healthy attitude about the sun and your skin. Think of it as inching your way into the crisp, cool ocean: Each step might be daunting at first, but you'll get used to it in no time.

#1 STAY AWAY FROM TANNING SALONS They're called "tanning coffins" for good reason: Those lambent, blue-light capsules are absolutely linked to higher rates of skin cancer -- despite tanning salons' claims of being safe. "We dermatologists are seeing people in their 20s who already have basal-cell cancer from tanning parlors," says David Leffell, professor of dermatology and surgery at Yale School of Medicine. One study of Scandinavian women showed that those who used tanning beds more than once a month were 55 percent more likely to develop melanoma -- and that's just once a month, whereas some states allow visits as often as once a day. Don't fool yourself into thinking you'll do it "just this once": Research suggests that tanning can be addictive, since it releases mood-enhancing endorphins. (That may partly explain why tanning is a $5

billion-a-year industry.) Nor should you stop in just for special occasions. "If you want to be tan at your wedding, a tanning bed is the worst thing you can do," says Leslie Baumann, director of the University of Miami Division of Cosmetic Dermatology. "You trade looking good for three days for looking terrible at age 40." Also, in her book The Skin Type Solution (Bantam Dell), Baumann dispels the myth that tanning clears up blemishes. "Acne actually gets worse in summer months and is worsened by UV exposure," she says.

#2 DON'T GET BURNED Not that you should trade in the fake 'n' bake for real sunbathing -- since sunburn, too, is linked to skin cancer: A report in the British Journal of Dermatology showed that just five lifetime sunburns double the risk of melanoma. And the tingly red scourge isn't exactly going away: In a 2003 study at the University of Pennsylvania, nearly 40 percent of Americans reported having at least one sunburn in the previous year. "It's even more alarming that that number goes up 60 percent for people ages 18 to 24," says Joel Gelfand, medical director of the clinical studies unit at the university's department of dermatology. Plus, the wealthier and more educated people are, the more likely they are to have been sunburned. "They have more opportunity for sun exposure through leisure time and travel," Gelfand says. Aside from the cancer risks, dermatologists insist that tanned skin just doesn't look good. "The next time you're in the sun, just look at your forearm. It's basically being cooked," says dermatologist Seth Matarasso, professor at University of California-San Francisco School of Medicine. "It's baked, and it becomes unattractive and almost untouchable." For all the tandoori chicks of Hollywood -- Paris, Britney, Nicole -- Matarasso points out that there are some sun-shunning, age-

defying celebrity role models. "At this year's Academy Awards," he recalls, "there weren't any tanned celebrities on the red carpet." #3 WEAR SUNSCREEN EVERY DAY Baby steps. That's all dermatologists ask. If you were to toddle over to the bottle of sunscreen, pump a nickel-size dab on your palm, and finger-paint your face, the dermatological community might snap photographs like a proud parent witnessing a milestone. "Just use it once a day, and that's a huge step in the right direction," Baumann says. "It's doable. It's like when patients hear that they can eat only 1,000 calories a day, and that doesn't work for anyone. But if they just aim to eat 500 fewer calories, it's more realistic." Perhaps the easiest way to remember to incorporate it into your daily routine is to use a facial moisturizer with SPF 15 at least, and preferably 30. This takes about half a minute, Matarasso says. "For all the multitasking you do each day, you can manage this." Consider a sunblocking daily body lotion, too, to protect your hands, chest, and legs. (Could those prim, First Lady skirts be to blame for Laura Bush's skin cancer on her calf?) Then get SPF-enhanced lip balm. "It makes your life easy when putting on sunscreen is not an extra step," says Karyn Grossman, a dermatologist in Los Angeles. Find the best formula for your skin, and be sure it offers "broad-spectrum protection" against both burning UVB rays and aging UVA rays. The potent ingredient "Mexoryl, which is found in Anthelios, is great, and it was finally approved for sale in the United States, but a lot of women in their 20s find it too greasy," Grossman says. As alternates, Grossman (a consultant for Prescriptives) likes Prescriptives Anti-Age Advance Protection Moisturizer, and Neutrogena's and Aveeno's products with Helioplex, a more stable reformulation of the ingredient Parsol 1789. If you're spending most of your day indoors, you can put sunscreen on in the morning and be done. "Telling people to reapply their daily sunscreen just scares them off completely," Baumann allows. "But if you protect yourself every day, it helps make up for the times when you have more sun exposure." When you're outside a lot, you do need to reapply early and often, ...