June 2004
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A Matter of Health
Glowing with health?
It's that time of year.
You see them by the pool, their towels spread by the water, their straps untied and their skins offered up to a burning sun. They wipe their sweaty brows halfway through a midday run. On cruise ships, they sacrifice their epidermis to the equatorial noon.
Despite the warnings from a variety of experts and organizations such as the American Cancer Society, the world’s love affair with the sun tan and the sun continues – and so does skin cancer. An estimated 1 million Americans will be diagnosed with basal cell and squamous cell cancers of the skin this year. Another 52,400 cases of melanoma – a much more malignant disease – will be diagnosed this year.
These are tragedies in the making.
In Australia, where the sun also burns hot and many fair-skinned citizens who immigrated from Europe reside, they take the sun risk more seriously. They should. They have the highest skin cancer rates in the world.
Hats are de rigueur or they should be, say the Australians in their advice about being "SunSmart." They recommend sunscreen and hats to almost totally protect the face, and they note than nearly half of all Australians wear hats, although the female portion of the population is known to forgo them more often than men.
Sunglasses should be worn to protect the eyes from exposure to the rays. People are advised to simply stay in the shade during the hottest part of the day. As the SunSmart folks advise, it’s the cheapest form of sun protection.
Clothing – loose and covering – can also provide a good protection against the damages of the sun, they recommend. Sunscreen provides good protection, particularly when combined with clothing, hats, shade and sunglasses. A sunscreen with an SPF of 15 blocks 93 percent of the sun’s rays. One with 30 SPF blocks 96 percent of the sun. Don’t depend on sunscreen to provide all your protection and do not use it to extend the time you spend outdoors, particularly in the hottest part of the day. Make sure you put it on evenly and reapply regularly. Wiping the sweat off your face can also remove the sunscreen.
There is no such thing as a "healthy tan." If you must have one, consider one of the self-tanning products that have become so prevalent. Remember that tanning damages skin. If you seek one for vanity’s sake, consider what you will look like in 40 years after decades of tanning.
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