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How To Hit the Beach The Sun-Safe Way |
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The screech of seagulls. The pounding surf. As your summer daydreams grow insistent, you grab a towel, fill up the cooler and set out for the golden sand …
Haven’t you forgotten something?
Right. Sun protection. Before a day on the beach, you need strategies to keep from returning browned or burned by harmful solar ultraviolet rays (UVR). Here’s our five-step plan to make sure your next beach trip isn’t just fun, but also sun-safe.
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Skin Cancer and Skin of Color |
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MONA GOHARA, MD, AND MARITZA PEREZ, MD
Caucasians are the primary victims of skin cancer. However, everyone, regardless of skin color, can fall prey to it. Unfortunately, many patients and even some physicians are under the impression that non-Caucasian people are immune to this disease. That is one reason people of color are diagnosed with skin cancer at later stages. These delays mean that skin cancers are often advanced and potentially fatal, whereas most skin cancers are curable if caught and treated in a timely manner. Tragically, this is what happened to legendary reggae musician Bob Marley: What was dismissed as a soccer injury under his toenail turned out to be an aggressive form of melanoma that ultimately caused his death at 36. Mr. Marley’s story reminds us why both medical providers and the public need to be educated about skin cancer and skin of color.
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 The sunscreen aisle of a drugstore offers lots of choices, but which one is right for you? We show you how to find the sunscreen that best fits your lifestyle.
What Are Sunscreens?
Sunscreens are chemical agents that help prevent the sun's ultraviolet (UV) radiation from reaching the skin. Two types of ultraviolet radiation, UVA and UVB, damage the skin and increase your risk of skin cancer.
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A Healthy Glow That’s Truly Healthy |
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(Reprinted with permission from The New York Times)
By JANE E. BRODY
June 1, 2009
 “You’ve been in the sun,” a woman remarked when she saw me last month, a hint of disapproval in her voice.
“No,” I was pleased to be able to reply. “I just use a tinted face cream and makeup to match.”
You see, I’ve learned my lesson, sort of. I’ve had four precancers (medically, actinic keratoses) removed from my face in recent years, the consequence of decades of unprotected exposure to the damaging effects of ultraviolet radiation from the sun. From my teens through my 30s, I devoted hours to baking in the summer sun coated with baby oil, not sunscreen.
So far I’ve been fortunate — no skin cancers yet and minimal facial wrinkles at age 68. But I decided awhile back not to push my luck. I would rather not be the one in six Americans who eventually develops skin cancer. So I apply a facial moisturizer with sunscreen several times a day, and in spring through fall I minimize my time in the midday sun. I also wear sunglasses with full UV protection both for comfort and to protect against cataracts.
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Understanding UVA and UVB |
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For a six billion-year-old star, the sun is certainly in the news a lot lately, mainly because it is still a source of uncertainty and confusion to many of us.
The center of this confusion is the sun’s ultraviolet A (long-wave) and ultraviolet B (shortwave) rays. Our understanding of exactly what kinds of damage each causes to the skin, and how best to protect ourselves, seems to shift every year as new research comes out.
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