Dr. Marie Jhin, a dermatologist in the SF Bay Area's Premier Dermatology discusses how to be smart in the sun for this summer.
May is Skin Cancer Awareness month and it is always imperative to be sun smart. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, rates of skin cancer has tripled from 1994 to 2009 and it my practice, I am seeing younger and younger patients with skin cancer, which can be deadly if not detected early.
Daily sun protection is the key. It is critical everyday and not just at the beach because the risk of skin cancer is cumulative damage... the five minutes here and the five minutes there. That is what really increases the skin cancer risk in young people and causes wrinkles. I tell all my patients if you make it a daily habit of putting on sunscreen just like brushing your teeth then there will be no question whether “is it sunny today or not?”
Many of my patients tell me, “I’m never outside so I don’t need sunblock.” The truth is although UVB is completely blocked by windows, UVA penetrates them so you can get lots of exposure by just sitting in an office with windows or driving your car. The average window allows 63% of UVA rays to pass through. In fact, skin cancer and sundamage is more prevelant on the left side of people’s face and body because of sun exposure while driving. Make sunblock a daily routine all year round.
Finding the right sunblock is also key. SPF only measures the protection from the UVB rays, not UVA and many daily moisturizers don’t have enough ingredients to adequately block UVA rays. suggest a sunblock rather than a moisturizer with some SPF in it. At the beach, I suggest you apply 2 tablespoons of sunscreen to your whole body and reapply every two hours or after swimming or sweating. Bottom line... reapply, reapply, reapply.
There is a lot of concern that sunblock can block rays that trigger your body to make health-promoting vitamin D. Although this is possible, in reality very few people use enough sunscreen to stop Vitamin D production.
What are other ways besides sun protection to fight against skin cancer? I recommend a diet rich in anti-oxidants and omega-3s which can actually help protect you from skin cancer. So load up on fish, yogurt, colorful fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, olive oil, red wine and lots of water.
Finally, there is no such thing as a safe tan. People who use tanning beds are 74% more likely to develop melanoma than those who never used them, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation. I have a patient whose friend own a tanning bed when he was in his twenties and he used it several times. Now he has recurring skin cancers on his chest and shoulders in his fifties and he attributes this to the tanning beds, which is very plausible.
If you’d like more information on sunscreen options or come in for a skin cancer screening. Please contact Robert, our Patient Mananger to schedule an appointment. He can be reached at info@premier-dermatology.com or 415-371-8600 (SF office) /650-551-9700 (Pennisula office)
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