After realizing that U-V lamps were unefficient and that even excess sun tanning could have an adverse effect on psoriasis, I began experimenting with varying lenghts of exposure to the sun's rays. I believe sunburn can aggravate the ouburst of psoriasis so the idea was to find an ideal timing to prevent damages.

To do this I use a Timex digital watch. With the timer I tested my skin reaction starting with 5 minutes, then 10, then 15, then 20, OOPS ! SUNBURN ! I decided to stop my tanning sessions at 15 minutes each side

But how could I get ALL of my body exposed ?

By rotating to the four sides of my body every fifteen minutes. Like this:

First, I use my shadow to adjust the orientation of the towel, for an even natural UV irradiation, parrallel to the sun's rays.

Lying on my back, a lot of the body is exposed, along with the armpits and the inside of the arms and even under my feet, parts usually disregarded when tanning.

On my left side. Because my face gets a full exposure in the previous posture, I use my right arm to protect it. That way, my armpits get a much needed double exposure. So does the inside of my left arm.

This way, I get a good exposure for my back, and the back of my arms, giving a double exposure to the elbows where psoriasis loves to hang. The under side of my feet stays warm but does'nt really tan or burn.

On my right side for a complete exposure. Here you can see how I place my arm to protect my face which otherwise would get a triple or quadruple exposure. You can see where the sun's rays go under the arm, and my feet look white.

Important notes:

This 15 minutes period of exposure is used around the 45th parallel North, that is to say in the southern part of Canada.

When I travel to the Caribbean or Mexico, closer to the equator, I redo the testing with 5 minutes increments or even less, because the angle of the sun to the earth gets steeper, increasing the power of the UVs and the infra-reds.

I even start with shadow tanning, under trees or a canopy, to prepare my skin for the treatment.

After sunbathing, I stay in the shade or I wear clothes and a cap or hat. I also protect my face and feet with Lubriderm FPS 15 skin lotion.

BE CAREFUL WITH THE ARM POSITIONS TO AVOID SUNBURN.
A few years ago, I kept my arms on the same side for the whole time. It resulted in a second degree burn of the inside of my arms. Not very pleasant and it offsets the tanning procedure because you cannot expose sunburned skin for a while. It should go like this:
1-Inside both arms,
2-Inside of left arm and outside of the right,
3-Outside of both arms,
4-outside of the left, inside of the right.
REMEMBER: It is not a deep tan that matters, but a regular exposure to the sun's rays.

FIND A GOOD LINK HERE : PSORIASIS.COM

AN INTERESTING SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN ARTICLE ON SKIN CANCER, ESPECIALLY THE STUDY ON IMMIGRANTS TO AUSTRALIA

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