Summer Is Almost Here: Protect Your Skin

City of Hope
Monday, 10 May 2004

Feeling pale? You may think that a golden tan looks healthy and attractive but sun worshippers beware: you could be causing skin cancer, the most common type of cancer in the United States.

The disease can result from long-term exposure to sunlight, which emits Ultraviolet Radiation (UV Rays) that damage skin cells and can lead to one of three types of skin cancer: basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma. While people should take precautions from sun exposure all year-round, protection is especially important during the summer months when the sun is directly overhead for a longer period and UV Ray levels are highest.

"Skin cancer, especially melanoma, can be deadly," says Lily Lai, M.D., skin cancer expert at City of Hope Cancer Center in Los Angeles. "Fortunately, skin cancers are preventable and highly curable if found and treated early."

Several risk factors increase the chance of skin cancer, but everyone is at risk of developing the disease. Some of these risk factors include: having fair skin that freckles easily; living in warm climates with high sun exposure and/or high altitudes; occupational exposure, such as working outdoors; overall lifetime exposure to the sun; and having many moles.

Here are some tips to protect your skin from harmful UV Rays all year-round:

* Avoid exposure to mid-day sun, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m., when UV Rays are most dangerous.

* Use sunscreen with a sun protective factor (SPF) of 15 or higher whenever you spend time outdoors. Remember to reapply sunscreen every 1 to 1 ½ hours.

* Wear protective clothing such as hats and long-sleeved shirts that block the sun's rays.

* Protect young children from the sun's rays. The damaging effects of UV Radiation can begin in childhood.

* Be careful when taking certain medications that may cause the skin to burn more easily. Check with your doctor or pharmacist to determine if your medication could be a problem.

* Avoid sun lamps and tanning booths.

"Having a tan, natural or artificial, is a sign that the skin has already been damaged," says Dr. Lai. "Since tanning booths expose you to ultraviolet rays just as the sun does, using a sunless tanner is the best way to get a tan without damaging your skin."

For more information about skin cancer research and treatment at City of Hope Cancer Center in Los Angeles, call 1-800-826-HOPE (4673).

For more information, or to contact City of Hope, see their website at: www.cityofhope.org