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For those New Bernians who
have already had their first case
of sunburn, and for those who
haven’t, a few pointers from the
American Medical Association are
worth passing along.
Actually, a good suntan has little
or no physiological value. But
there is a therapeutic result in
the sense of relaxation and well
being gained from baking in the
warm sunshine down at Morehead
City, or along the shores of our
Neuse and Trent rivers. The idea
is not to overdo it.
An over-exposure to hot sun can
cause burns, as almost everyone
knows. Less known is the fact that
continued over-exposure over a
period of years can cause the skin
to look weater beaten, wrinkled,
leathery and coarse, in texture.
Human skins vary a great deal
in the amount they can stand.
Redheads, blondes, brownettes,
blue-eyed, fair skinned and (liter
ally thin-skinned) people need to
be especially wary of direct hot
sunlight. Dark-skinned, dark-hair
ed, dark-eygd persons have more
immunity — but not complete
immunity — from sunburn.
The time of day of exposure is
important. The burning ultraviolet
is most intense from 11 a.m. to
2 p.m. No sunburn is likely befoje
8 a.m. and after 4 p.m. High noon
is the hottest time of the day for
sunburn. Rays from sand and
water can burn, even though you
may not be directly exposed.
First day, expose skin to sun for
or 20 minutes each on race and
back, and the time on which these
figures are based is noon. Second
day, increase exposure by one-
third, to a little less than half an
hour. Third day, again increase by
one-third, to from 30 to 40 min
utes. And so on.
By the fourth day, a new pig
ment should begin to darken your
skin. In a week you should have
enough skin thickening and pig
mentation to give considerable pro
tection against burning sunshine.
As individual sensitivities differ,
you must to some extent learn
for yourself how much sun you
can tolerate.
As you can see, it is wise where
possible to already have a suntan
before you go on your vacation to
the beach. That isn’t the most con
venient thing in the world, if
you’re a New Bernian who works
every day for a living. Prepared or
not, we aren’t foolish enough to
believe that you’ll spend just 15
or 20 minutes in the sun when
you first get to the beach for a
week or two of relaxation.
Most of the suntan lotions, ac
cording to AMA, contain chemi-
. cals called sunscreens, which ab
sorb various wave lengths of burn
ing ultraviolet rays to various de-
t grees. The better lotions allow you
to stay in the sun longer with less
risk of burning!'
They do’ hot keep out all radia
tion, or else you would never tan
at all. There’s no really good way
to tell which of the suntan lotions
is most effective for you until you
try them. If you guess wrong,
you’re in for trouble.
Suntan pills, used under medical
supervision and obtained by pre
scription, can help “easy burners”
to be better protected against pain
ful burn while acquiring a tan.
They are not for self-dosage.
If you do get sunburned, treat
it as you would any other burn.
Use soothing lotions to ease the
pain. If the burn is unusually in
tense, see a doctor. A lot of miser
able New Bernians have found re
lief in calamine lotion, while
others have had good results from
olive oil and cocoa butter. In
severe cases, a wet dressing of
Epsom salts solution is recom
mended.
Sunburn can be serious, and
(Continued on Page 8)
ITew Bern Public Libraiy
The NEW BERN
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PUBLISHED WEEKLY
IN THE HEART OF
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VOLUME 5
NEW BERN, N. C., FRIDAY, JUNE 22, 1962
NUMBER 8
IN THE LONG AGO—Jf you’re a New Bernian considera
bly older than you care to admit, you’ll remember this
house. Needless to say, the three gents conversing at the
gate have long since departed from the ranks of the liv
ing. This photo was snapped on an October day, just 68
years ago, in an era when small talk was a luxury that
everyone enjoyed.
NOT JUST IN FRONT—Thousands who pass the historic
Attmore-Oliver house on Broad street have never seen the
rear view of this grand old frame dwelling. As you can
see here, its attractiveness is not confined to the front
portion. Thanks to the New Bern Historical Society, and
generous contributions by citizens, it has been preserved
for posterity.—Photo by Billy Benners.