Emergency Contact Crew Health: Protecting your skin on board Home Latest updates News Crew Health: Protecting your skin on board 13 Oct 2016 Download Sign up for alerts Did you know that skin is our largest and fastest growing organ? It has three crucial functions: Protection: The skin acts as a barrier from temperature variations, micro-organisms and chemicals. Regulation: The skin helps us to maintain an optimum body temperature through the use of hair and sweat. Sensation: The skin has an extensive network of nerve cells that help to detect changes in the environment and alert you to high or low temperatures, and pain. Being such an important organ it is imperative that skin is protected and taken care of. Being on board ships can result in long periods of time working outside, sometimes in regions where the sun's intensity can be high. This article highlights key factors that can harm skin while on board, and provides advice on how to protect and take care of skin. The effect of the sun on skin Exposing skin to appropriate amounts of sunlight is essential for health as it provides Vitamin D which helps the body absorb calcium and phosphate, fundamental for strong and healthy bones. However over exposure to sunlight also carries with it risks and can cause a range of diseases as highlighted by the World Health Organisation (WHO): Sunburn and other skin changes : sunburn ranges from skin reddening to severe and painful blistering of the skin. Cataract of the eye lens : opacities in the eye lens lead to decreased vision and eventual blindness. Skin carcinoma : several types of malignant skin tumours of the non-melanoma type are caused by UV radiation. Malignant melanoma of the skin : this is a very severe cancer that can develop many years after excessive exposure to the sun. There are many measures that can be taken to ensure time spent in the sun is beneficial, not detrimental, to personal health. This is especially helpful for crew on board ships, who