In honor of May being National Skin Cancer Awareness Month, let's gear up to protect ourselves. Damage caused by UV radiation emitted by the sun causes more than 90% of skin cancer. As a skin cancer surgeon, I see many patients from 50 to 90 years old who had a considerable amount of sun damage in their youth playing outdoors. They tell me their parents didn’t know anything about sun damage and they didn’t either.
Thanks to the tremendous efforts of dermatologists to educate the public about the dangers of skin cancer, parents are now more aware of the dangers the sun poses to their children. Parents try to apply sunscreen on their children at the beach. They also put it on before they play sports or have extended sun exposure. What most of us don’t know is that we get most of our sun exposure on a daily basis through car windows, walking from the car to the supermarket or work, or during recess at school. Are the kids protected then? I would bet that the answer is no. So how do we solve this problem? What do we do about it?
Thanks to the tremendous efforts of dermatologists to educate the public about the dangers of skin cancer, parents are now more aware of the dangers the sun poses to their children. Parents try to apply sunscreen on their children at the beach. They also put it on before they play sports or have extended sun exposure. What most of us don’t know is that we get most of our sun exposure on a daily basis through car windows, walking from the car to the supermarket or work, or during recess at school. Are the kids protected then? I would bet that the answer is no. So how do we solve this problem? What do we do about it?
As parents, we have to remember that the sun is always present and constantly causing damage to the skin and that damage is cumulative. In order to win the battle, we have to adopt a sun-wise lifestyle. What does this mean? Being sun-wise is not just one thing or another but a culmination of things that combined can help protect from long term sun damage.
Being sun-wise means that you avoid direct sunlight between 10 am and 2pm. The UV radiation is strongest during this time and avoiding being outside is the best approach. Take your walk in the morning before work or during the evening after you get home. Seek shade when outdoors. I tell my patients that if you want to sit on the patio for lunch to enjoy the outdoors, go ahead, but pick the table in the shade. You will actually enjoy your lunch more without the sun blazing down on you. If you want to go to the beach, make sure you have an umbrella. You should also use sun protective clothing. There are several brands such as Coolibar and UVSkinz that have sun protective clothing. Alternatively you can add Sun Guard to your laundry detergent and it will provide sun protection to your daily garments. If you spend a lot of time in the water, you can try Watermans Sunscreen, as it tends to stay on better.
Being sun-wise means that you avoid direct sunlight between 10 am and 2pm. The UV radiation is strongest during this time and avoiding being outside is the best approach. Take your walk in the morning before work or during the evening after you get home. Seek shade when outdoors. I tell my patients that if you want to sit on the patio for lunch to enjoy the outdoors, go ahead, but pick the table in the shade. You will actually enjoy your lunch more without the sun blazing down on you. If you want to go to the beach, make sure you have an umbrella. You should also use sun protective clothing. There are several brands such as Coolibar and UVSkinz that have sun protective clothing. Alternatively you can add Sun Guard to your laundry detergent and it will provide sun protection to your daily garments. If you spend a lot of time in the water, you can try Watermans Sunscreen, as it tends to stay on better.
You should always use sunscreen. I recommend the highest SPF you can get, because we all use less than the recommended amount and don’t reapply after sweating or swimming as we should. This means we get a far lower SPF than what is on the bottle, which is very dangerous. You should also make sure that your sunscreen is broad spectrum. What we don’t realize is that SPF only tells us how much protection we get from UVB rays and not UVA. A broad spectrum sunscreen also protects against UVA, which penetrate further into the skin.
If you are concerned about the toxicity of sunscreen, there are organic sunscreens. I recommend Goddess Garden, Kabana or any other sunscreen that has zinc oxide or titanium dioxide.
If you are concerned about Vitamin D levels then you should know that it takes about 10 minutes of exposure to the sun to get the Vitamin D we need. I guarantee you that with the way we apply sunscreen most people get more than enough sun exposure for Vitamin D production.
All of this information shows that there is not one magic bullet to sun protection. You have to take multiple measures to protect you and your kids from sun damage. The more of these methods you use, the better the result. So be mindful and be sun-wise while enjoying your time outdoors.
Dr. Bobby Awadalla is a board certified dermatologist and Skin Cancer Surgeon out of Orange County, CA. He was recently a guest on Dr. Drew and his vitamin supplement to protect skin from the sun has been endorsed by Dr. Drew as well.
If you are concerned about the toxicity of sunscreen, there are organic sunscreens. I recommend Goddess Garden, Kabana or any other sunscreen that has zinc oxide or titanium dioxide.
If you are concerned about Vitamin D levels then you should know that it takes about 10 minutes of exposure to the sun to get the Vitamin D we need. I guarantee you that with the way we apply sunscreen most people get more than enough sun exposure for Vitamin D production.
The last thing you can do to protect against sun damage is to eat a diet rich in foods that can provide protection. Foods such as tomatoes, carrots and peppers are a great source of pigments that can help fend off this damage. Repairing damage that has occurred in the past requires foods that are either high in antioxidants to stop free radical damage or have cellular membrane, DNA, collagen or elastin repair activity.
- Lycopene, lutein and beta-carotene help provide protection from sunburns and can help repair the skin and regulate skin turnover. Lycopene is found in large quantities in guavas, tomatoes, watermelons, papaya and grapefruit. Beta-carotene can be found in carrots, sweet potatoes and dark green leafy vegetables like spinach. Lutein can be found in eggs, leafy greens like spinach, kale, turnip greens, collard greens, and romaine lettuce, broccoli, zucchini, garden peas and Brussels sprouts.
- Scientific studies show vitamins C and E work together to help prevent and repair cellular damage caused by UV radiation. Good sources of vitamin C include red, green or yellow peppers (highest amounts of vitamin C), guava, citrus fruit, berries, parsley and kale. Good sources of vitamin E are wheat germ oil (highest amount of vitamin E out of all raw foods), spices (chili powder or paprika), almonds, sunflower seeds, peanut butter, avocados and dark leafy greens like spinach and broccoli.
- Green tea can help protect you from UV damage if consumed daily and can help decrease redness and inflammation.
- Omega-3 has been shown to help prevent sunburn and increase the elasticity of the skin. It can be found in flaxseed oil, fish oil from salmon, chia seeds and walnuts, which also contain copper that helps increase collagen.
- Pomegranates are a very good source of antioxidants, which fight free radicals through their polyphenols. Grapes are also a great source of antioxidants.
All of this information shows that there is not one magic bullet to sun protection. You have to take multiple measures to protect you and your kids from sun damage. The more of these methods you use, the better the result. So be mindful and be sun-wise while enjoying your time outdoors.
Dr. Bobby Awadalla is a board certified dermatologist and Skin Cancer Surgeon out of Orange County, CA. He was recently a guest on Dr. Drew and his vitamin supplement to protect skin from the sun has been endorsed by Dr. Drew as well.
