ween g « 9 a. Saeed

NEWS photo Mike Wakeiield

BATTLE scars nat adding anything to your office
attire? Here are tips on cleaning, and hiding, them.

Remember your sun smarts in the g

WITH your return to
the outdoors comes
increased sun expo-
sure, and a warning
that bears repeating.

You can gec the most
enjoyment this summer by
protecting yourself and your
chiidren from ultraviolet UV
radiation.

And there’s a bonus: by
looking after your own
heafth, you can save heaith-
care dollars.

You may have noticed
how destructive sunlight can
be to fabrics and other
organic materials.

Your skin is no different. :

Even if you’re not badly
burned, sun damage adds up
year after year, causing pre-
mature aging of the skin,
skin cancers, cataracts and
other cye diseases. :

By the time we are adults,
many of us will have soaked
up more than enough ultra-
violet rays to cause skin can-
cer.

In fact, the incidence of
skin cancer in B.C, has dou-

‘1

bled in the last 15 years.

Much of our exposure to
UV rays happens before we
turn 18. And since the
earth’s ozone layer is thin-
ning, even higher levels of
UV radiation can be expect-
ed in the years ahead.

But there are some things
you can do to protect your-
self and your children:

Bi Protect your skin from the
sun every day from late
spring through early fall.

®% Stay out of the sun
between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
When you are in the sun,
wear long-sleeved shirts and
long pants —— preferably
made of a densely woven fab-
ric that you can’t see
through.

Wear a broad-brimmed
hat to keep the sun off the
back of your neck.

@ Wear sunglasses that block
90% of the UV-A and 95% of
UV-B rays. Large lenses,
especially wrap-arounds, are
best: they don’t have to be
expensive. Children’s eyes

See Infants page 16

Ss

YOe|s *Y UIOOW

Dermal Laser Centre

200-265 25th St., West Vancouver
9826-2609

Cai for complimentary consultation or brochure

north shore news

& BASHION

IT OUTSIDE

Deana Lancaster

News Reporter
deana@nsnews.com

IT took long enough.

Just when we'd almost
given up that summer, in all its
glaring, sticky splendour,
would ever arrive, it rode in on
the back of the thick cloudcov-
er we'd been under for weeks.

Now we can play our
favourite games through long,
hot weekends and right into
after-work evenings. We're hit-
ting che beaches with our vol-
\eyballs, the fitness paths on our
rollerblades and the trails on
cur bikes ... and sometimes
we're hitting chem hard.

While comparing bruises,
scrapes and scars at the waiter
cooler on Monday morning
has its merits, the fact is, they
don’t add style to your summer
wardrobe.

Here’s a guide to cleaning
up the carnage so that your
ugly scrapes and cuts don’t
turn into even uglier scars —
and some tips on hiding the
damage.

Immediately after
crash/wipeout/faceplant:
MoH you're bleeding, use a
clean cloth or piece of gauze to
cover the wound, Apply firm
Pressure to it with your hand
until the bleeding has stopped.
When it has stopped complete-
ly, sponge the wound gentdy
with antiseptic such os rubbing
alcohol and spread antibiotic
ointment in a thin layer over
the wound. Cover it with a
bandage.

@ If you car: feel a bruise com-
ing on, apply 2 cold compress
(a washcloth soaked in cold
water works well) to the
bruised arca immediately. To
alleviate continued pain and
swelling, apply cold compresses
or an ice bag to the area for 15
minutes at 3 time several times
a day.
® For scrapes, wash the area
with warm water and soap.
ply an antibiotic ointment or
rubbing alcohol and thorough-
ly cleanse the wound and
remove any debris or dirt.

A thorough cleaning is crit-

ical — if you leave foreign mat-

your

Sunday, July 25, 1999 — North Shore News — 15

ter In the wound you run the
risk of “tattooing” yourself
with a rough, dark-coloured
sear, not to mendon iniection.
If you can’t get all the dirt and
debris out on your own, a visit
to the doctor’s office would be
wise.

Properly healed, a scar will
be smooth, and lighter in
colour than the rest of your
skin. There are three phases to
healing, so you have plenty of
time to ensure that it gets
there.

In the first phase, lasting a
week or two, the body delivers
inflammatory blood cells to the
site of injury to fight infection
and start repairing the skin.
Keep the wound out of the sun
or it will darken. Also, to speed
healing, keep it moist with
ointment. A bandage will also
help, as long as you, change it
daily.

in the second phase, lasting
up to two months, the body
manufactures collagen mole-
cules to form new tissue. To
help keen the regeneration uni-
form, massage the area with

ue is

lotion or ointment owice a day.
Extra vitamin C and zine will
also aid cell growth.

The final phase of healin
takes up to a year. If it’s still
grucsome after that, you may
want to talk to a dermatologist
about your options for hiding
or removing it.

In the meantime, your sum-
mer skirts and capri pants may
not coordinate wel] with your
bruises and scrapes.

Black and blue isn’t quite as
dramatic against golden brown
skin as it is against white. This
might be the right time to try a
self-tanning lotion or spray.

Another option is to hide
the damage with makeup.
Lock for a concealez or foun-
dation that matches your skin
tone and is thick enough to do
the trick. Try Clinique
Continuous Coverage or
Ultima Wo Under-It-All
Makeup Perfector. To tone
down redness use a concealer
with green.

Now you have no more
excuses for not getting: out
there. Go play!

reat ou

photo The Bedy Ship

PUT on sunscreen, such as thase in The Body Shcp’s new fine of PABA-free waterproof sun care procucts,
before you head outdoors. it will help to protect you from long-term damage such as premature aging of the

skin and skin cancers.

Capilano Mall
° 986-2087

eee ah