Wear Sunscreen

I am sure you have heard this over and over and yet I think it is so important that it cannot be said enough times:

Wear Sunscreen !!  

I attended a presentation by a dermatologist yesterday and got inspired to write to you today (I also went to CVS immediately after and restocked on highest SPF in the house!!)

Each time you get a sunburn you significantly increase your risk of getting melanoma. Melanomas are malignant cancer of the skin that can kill. These cancers don’t just stay confined to the skin but they can travel all over your body and seed in other organs like your brain or your lungs.

When you tan without burning you put yourself at acquiring other forms of skin cancers such as basal cell cancer – which is the most common cancer in humans.

It is true that the lighter you are the more susceptible you may be for burns and certain skin cancers, however, having dark skin does not protect you and you should still use sun screen.

What to do? 

• Use sunscreen every day even when you are not going to the beach (light or dark colored skin)
• Use sunscreen even when you wear clothing (a light white T-Shirt provides only about 15 SPF and next to none when wet)
• Use the highest SPF (sun protection factor) as it loses its protective factor when you sweat or get wet (after about an hour of sweating it may have lost half its SPF already)
• Reapply SPF frequently and use a “shot glass” amount on the whole body (a family of 4 at the beach should use one whole bottle of sun screen –scary, isn’t it? These bottles often last 2 summers!)
• Stay in the shade but beware: at the beach the sun will still reflect UVB radiation onto your skin and will still increase your skin cancer risk! So, even in the shadow: sun screen! 
• Wear a hat with a brim to protect your scalp

By the way, for the vain ones amongst us: one of the main factors contributing to the aging of our skin is UV radiation! So, the less exposure the younger you may look.

What about vitamin D?

You may have heard that it is necessary to be exposed to sunlight in order for the production of vitamin D to occur in your skin. This is true, however, 15 min per day are already enough for most of us. You don’t need to fry for hours!

There is a lot of information out there on the internet, check out this woman’s personal experience: click here.
Here some tips on sun screen brands by a dermatologist: click here.

And when in doubt: ask your doctor or see your dermatologist.

It probably is a good idea to see a dermatologist at some point and get the recommendation on how frequently you should return for follow ups.

Stay cool out there and remember:

Wear sun screen!

Dr. B