The Skin
Little known fact: What is the largest organ in the human body?
You may have never thought of it this way, but the skin is an organ, much like the heart or the liver. What’s more, the skin is by far the largest organ of the human body.
Your skin plays a vital role in keeping you healthy. It is our first line of defense against dehydration, bacterial infection and pollutants of all kinds. It manages to be soft to the touch but also pliable, strong, waterproof and, to a certain extent, self-rejuvenating.
As miraculous as the skin is, however, it is still vulnerable to the sun’s rays and needs to be protected.
The sun can affect your skin in a variety of ways:
- Sunburn:
- Most of us have had a sunburn at some point in our lives. We think of it as a temporary event: the skin gets red, it is painful for a few days, then the skin peels, and all is resolved. Unfortunately, sunburns cause DNA damage to the skin, with effects that are cumulative over a lifetime. The more burns, the more damage. This DNA damage is what can lead to skin cancer.
- Photoaging:
- This is premature aging of the skin due to exposure to UVA and UVB rays. It consists of freckles, wrinkles, leathery skin and other consequences we spend a lot of money on trying to improve. We will further discuss this, but a lot of what we take as normal signs of aging are actually accelerated changes due to sun exposure.
- Melasma:
- This is commonly known as the "mask of pregnancy," though it can develop in women using birth control pills, or even spontaneously. Melasma also occurs in men. It appears most commonly as a blotchy brown pigmentation on cheeks, the upper lip and forehead. While it can be removed by lasers or bleached (with difficulty) by creams, your skin remains overly sensitive to sun exposure, and melasma can reoccur with the least amount of sun. People with this condition need to use daily sun protection.
- Skin cancer:
- Many people do not realize that skin cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in North America. Protecting yourself from the sun is one of the best ways to prevent this disease. To learn more about the different skin cancers, and what they look like, please go to the Canadian Dermatology Association’s website, www.dermatology.ca.
Different Skin Types
In 1975, a dermatologist at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Thomas Fitzpatrick, was the first to develop a scale to classify a person’s skin and their tolerance to sunlight. This scale has been modified since, but it can help you determine how to best protect yourself and your family from the sun.
The Fitzpatrick Skin Type Classification Scale
| Skin Type |
Typical Features |
Tanning ability |
| 1 |
Pale white skin, blue/hazel eyes, blond/red hair |
Always burns, does not tan |
| 2 |
Fair skin, blue eyes |
Burns easily, tans poorly |
| 3 |
Darker white skin |
Tans after initial burn |
| 4 |
Light brown skin |
Burns minimally, tans easily |
| 5 |
Brown skin |
Rarely burns, tans darkly easily |
| 6 |
Dark brown or black skin |
Never burns, always tans darkly |
This scale is a guide. While most pale Caucasians would be types 1 or 2, and most Afro-Canadians would be Types 5 or 6, obviously there is a great deal of individual variability. Asians and East Asians can be represented throughout the entire scale, depending on their ethnic origin, and with our wonderful multi-ethnicity, some people can probably be candidates for two skin types. Be cautious, and protect yourself as the lower of the two skin types to which you belong.