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Medical Leader News - Protecting your skin is essential: Common sense best approach, says LavendarProtecting your skin is essential: Common sense best approach, says Lavendar
PIKEVILLE — Dr. Timothy Lavender agrees that the summer months are meant to enjoy outdoor activities.
With the summer comes scorching temperatures — and sunburns — and Lavender, a dermatologist that has a private practice in Pikeville, urges residents to take precautions to avoid sunburns, which can increase your risk of skin cancer.
“The biggest thing about people being outside in the summer is not reapplying sun screen,” Lavender said. “Unless you use a waterproof sun screen, you can still get burned.”
Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. Exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays appears to be the most important environmental factor involved with developing skin cancer. During the summer months, UV radiation tends to be greater.
“I would encourage everyone to wear a hat outdoors at all times,” he said. “If you are just walking, riding a bike, cutting the grass or doing other outdoor activities, it’s best to always wear some type of hat.”
Lavender said it’s always wise to choose more than one way to cover up while working or enjoying the outdoors.
“There are many ways to cover and protect your skin, including using sunscreen, putting on a t-shirt, seeking shade, and grabbing your sunglasses,” he said. He said combining these sun protective actions helps protect your skin from the sun’s damaging UV rays.
“There are products you can buy to soak your clothes in to help prevent burning,” he said. “Good old fashion navy blue products are good to wear as well.”
He said that UV rays reach you on cloudy and hazy days, as well as bright and sunny days. He said rays will also reflect off surfaces like water, cement, sand and snow.
Additionally, UV rays from artificial sources of light, like tanning beds, cause skin cancer and should be avoided.
Skin cancer is a disease in which cancer (malignant) cells are found in the outer layers of your skin. There are several types of cancer that originate in the skin.
The most common types are basal cell carcinoma (70 percent of all skin cancers) and squamous cell carcinoma (20 percent).
These types are classified as nonmelanoma skin cancer. Melanoma (five percent of all skin cancers) is the third type of skin cancer. It is less common than basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer, but potentially much more serious.
“The biggest thing when spending time outdoors is just use common sense,” he added. “Protecting yourself from the sun can be essential to your health in the years to come.”
Summer skin care tips To help prevent skin cancer and still having fun outdoors, regularly use sun protective practices such as:
• Seek shade, especially during midday hours (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.), when UV rays are strongest and do the most damage.
• Cover up with clothing to protect exposed skin.
• Get a hat with a wide brim to shade the face, head, ears and neck.
• Grab shades that wrap around and block as close to 100% of both UVA and UVB rays as possible.
• Rub on sunscreen with sun protective factor (SPF) 15 or higher and has both UVA and UVB protection.
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