Guide to protecting your skin from UV exposure
| • | Staying safe from sun damage |
By Katherine Nichols
Advertiser Staff Writer
There are as many sunscreen products as there are opinions out there. Conclusion: Spend the money for whatever goes on your face, go for high volume/less expense when it comes to the rest of your body.
• If you have a problem with sunscreen running in your eyes and stinging, Carla Nip-Sakamoto of the Hawai'i Dermatological Society suggests using the "stick-based sunscreens; they are more wax-based and don't run because they're heavier." Or apply an SPF 30 lip balm around the eyes and on the forehead (in addition to the lips). Many of the sunscreen sticks run about $4 to $7. The lip sticks usually cost between $1 and $2.
• Apply all sunscreens liberally; a thin layer will not provide the protection advertised. A 3- to 5-ounce tube should last one full day at the beach.
• Sunscreen is not enough. Supplement with long-sleeved shirts, hats and sunglasses.
• What makes a sunscreen waterproof? "Most are grease-based so they will adhere more to the skin," said Nip-Sakamoto. "They test it in a laboratory setting, but the standard is only 80 minutes. After that time period (in the water), it's not necessarily there." Don't forget to apply sunscreen at least 20 minutes before you go outside or in the water so the skin can absorb it.
• What gives sunscreen its scent? Usually, the chemicals. Speculated Nip-Sakamoto: "A lot of products are fragrance-free, and that's good because fragrances can be irritants, but it's bad because it doesn't mask the chemical smell."
• Sun-protective clothing, like Solumbra shirts, often have 30 SPF and cost between $49.95 and $84.95. Nip-Sakamoto said they are effective, if you can afford them. But there is a cheaper alternative. "If you can take an article of clothing, hold it up to the light and not see light through the fabric easily," she said, it's a tightly woven fabric and will provide good (even better than sunscreen!) protection. Much of the expense of the treated fabrics is due to research during the manufacturing process and blends that make them cooler to wear.
• The benefit of using sunscreen with an SPF (Sun Protection Factor) over 30 is minimal, said Nip-Sakamoto. Here's the rub: You should reapply sunscreen when outdoors, but the benefits are not cumulative. For example, an SPF 15 applied to a person who would normally burn in 20 minutes will allow that individual 300 minutes of exposure before he burns. However, this does not increase with subsequent applications.
• Cloudy skies let in 80 percent of UV rays, so sunscreen is even more necessary (because the heat doesn't warn you of high exposure).
• Melanoma is the most aggressive and deadly of the skin cancers. The diameter — what you can see with the naked eye — often has little to do with diagnosis. It's the depth that counts. Nip-Sakamoto said that the prognosis with a shallow melanoma is very good. In general, melanomas spread quickly and do not respond to traditional chemotherapy and radiation. This makes early detection essential. Statistics from the American Cancer Society indicate that nearly 50,000 people will be diagnosed with melanoma this year, and 7,700 will die from the disease. Melanoma cases in this country have more than doubled in the last two decades, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Once a melanoma has occurred, recurrence is more likely.
• Non-melanoma skin cancers are projected to affect 1 million people nationally this year. A squamous cell carcinoma can metastasize, but not as quickly as a melanoma. A basal cell carcinoma tends not to spread distantly. These two cancers have a cure rate of 95 percent if detected and treated early.
• If you've had a history of early and extensive exposure, contact your dermatologist for a preventative check-up once a year. According to Nip-Sakamoto, your doctor should check you from head to toe, because melanomas can occur on the scalp and the feet.
