Be careful out there: 5 sun safety tips
Summertime's still a few weeks off, but don't forget sun safety.
More daylight also means the sun's rays are more damaging, so keep in mind these tips from the Melanoma Foundation New England and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, which remind us that sun exposure is the most preventable risk factor for skin cancer. (And stay out of tanning beds, too, as Kelli Pedroia warns in this Globe story and chat).
1. Apply sunscreen with an SPF 30 or higher that protects against both UVA and UVB rays.
2. Reapply every two hours
3. Wear protective clothing -- a long-sleeved shirt, wide-brimmed hat, and sunglasses (to avoid ocular melanoma)
4. Avoid peak hours between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
5. Seek shade if you can
"The main reason that people still burn when they have sunscreen on is they don't use enough and they don't use the right amount," Deb Girard, executive director of the melanoma group, said in an interview. "That's an ounce of sunscreen to cover your body if you're on a beach."
Dana-Farber suggests checking the expiration date on that sunscreen in your beach bag from last summer.
"In general, we recommend that you change your bottle of sun block yearly," Dr. Stephen Hodi, clinical director of the melanoma program said in a statement issued by Dana-Farber.
Girard concedes that long sleeves and pants might be a hard sell when the weather warms up, but she got a preview of the season's first sunburns when she took a cruise vacation last week. Pale people were sitting around the pool trying to tan. At the airport going home she saw a teenager who could barely walk from what Girard guessed were second-degree burns on her legs from too much sun.
"I thought, this is just crazy," she said.
A person's risk of skin cancer doubles if they have 5 or more sunburns and one blistering, really bad sunburn during childhood more than doubles the chance of developing melanoma later in life. The foundation tells teenagers if they want a tan, they should use a spray.
"Don't let yourself fry in UV rays," Girard said.
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Elizabeth Cooney is a former
health reporter for the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, where she also was a
business reporter and an editor. Earlier in her career, she edited medical
books and journals at Little, Brown, and worked for Boston magazine.Boston Globe Health and Science staff:
- Gideon Gil, Health and Science Editor
- Ishani Ganguli, Short White Coat blogger
The feet get sunburn too. Rare but deadly skin cancers can occur on the foot. Don’t forget to apply sunscreen to the tops and bottoms of your feet. According to one study, half of the people who learn they have melanoma of the foot die within five years because the cancer had already spread throughout their body by the time it was diagnosed. Doctors with the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons say routine self examinations of the feet are an important way to find skin cancer early, when it’s easiest to cure. Visit http://FootPhysicians.com for more information on malignant melanoma of the foot.
Mark Forstneger
Public Relations Manager
American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons