What’s the best-dressed sun seeker wearing this season? Ask a group of doctors who enjoy the summer sun — when they’re not removing skin cancers, or treating sunburn victims in the emergency room, that is.
Dr. Richard Wagner wears a hat and sunscreen when he combs the beach for insight into the psychology of sunbathers.
Dr. Erica Kelly shops for the latest in sun-protective clothing, and employs a studied strategy to coat her three young children with sunscreen.
Dr. Brian S. Zachariah, who sees sunburn victims in the emergency room, dons a hat, shorts and loose-fitting shirt when he heads toward the sun.
All three University of Texas Medical Branch physicians know well the costs of sun damage, but they also know the beach beckons.
“You don’t have to stay completely out of the sun,” said Kelly, an associate professor and director of cosmetic dermatology.
“I have a catch phrase — ‘practice safe sun.’ I even have a shirt that says that.”
She has another saying — “If your shadow is shorter than you are, you should be in the shade.” She recommends avoiding direct sun from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Kelly outfits her three children, ranging in age from 5 to 7, in sun-protective clothing, including rash guard shirts that are all the fashion in area surf shops. She rounds out her family’s attire with hats and sunglasses.
The family strategy involves an initial volley of sunscreen, applied by parents to the young Kelly trio, which includes a set of twins. Sunscreen spray is used in follow-up applications.
Kelly has one more fashion suggestion, especially for teenagers. A fake tan can look just as cool.
“I talk to teens all the time about using the self-tanners — they’re safe and you don’t get all the damage from the sun.”
The self-tanning fashion category includes new products ranging from “glow” lotions that gradually darken the skin with each use, to bronzers — powders that are applied like blush.
Wagner, a professor of dermatology, looks beyond the tan, into the psyche.
“I practice in this area of skin cancer and was seeing patients, very tan, so I asked them ‘Why?’” Wagner said. “They said, ‘I just feel so good when I tan, I just can’t quit. I know I could get skin cancers, but I’ll just leave that up to you to cut them out.’”
Wagner and a team of researchers hit the beach to study tanning addiction. They adapted screening tools for alcoholism to the practice of tanning, and then surveyed 145 beachgoers.
At least one-fourth of them qualified as having an addiction.
“They are like people who are drinking too much — they can’t stop either,” Wagner said.
Wagner has also researched the economics of sun damage. He co-authored a study estimating that 92,000 sick days are lost each year as a result of sunburn on Galveston Island. The cost was estimated at $10 million a year.
Zachariah, medical director of the division of emergency medicine at the medical branch, also sees the darker side to sun damage.
Sunburn sufferers can end up in emergency rooms with severe pain, blistering, infection or dehydration.
“Sunburns are real burns like touching a hot stove or being injured in a fire,” said Zachariah in an e-mail interview.
“Most are superficial, first-degree buns, but they can be severe (second degree) and require intravenous fluids for rehydration and even in rare cases hospital admission.
“The pain is due to the release of chemicals from the cells that are damaged by the UV radiation.”
For sunburn victims, he recommends over-the-counter medications like ibuprofen and naprosyn to help relieve pain and swelling, especially if taken early.
“Cool soaks can also help.”
If the pain isn’t controllable, or if there is severe or widespread blistering, or signs of dehydration or infection, then see a doctor, he said.
All three doctors agreed on the best bottom line to sun safety.
“Prevention is better than any possible treatment,” Zachariah said.
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Skin Cancer Facts
• Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in this country. More than 1.3 million new cases of skin cancer are diagnosed in the United States each year. One in five Americans and one in three Caucasians will develop skin cancer in the course of a lifetime.
• Skin cancer is the abnormal growth of skin cells — most often developing on skin exposed to the sun. But, it also can occur on areas of skin not ordinarily exposed to sunlight. Tanning beds can also increase skin cancer risk.
• Skin cancer is categorized into three types — basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma. Melanoma is the most serious of skin cancers. All three types of skin cancer are on the rise.
• Exposure to tanning beds before age 35 increases melanoma risk by 75 percent.
SOURCE: Skin Cancer Foundation and mayoclinic.com
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Tips From Experts
Slip, slop slap and wrap your way to safer fun in the sun with these expert tips.
• Slip on a loose, long-sleeve shirt; choose cloth with a tight weave you can’t see through.
• Slop on sunscreen with protection against ultraviolet UV-A and UV-B rays and a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 30, says Dr. Erica Kelly, who practices at the University of Texas Medical Branch.
Look in the active ingredients for zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, Parsol 1789, Heleoplex or Nexoral.
After getting wet and toweling off, do a follow-up coating with sunscreen spray or cream. Re-apply every time you towel off, and at least every two hours. Do not use a sunscreen on babies younger than 6 months.
Be sure to apply enough sunscreen — at least one ounce, a shot glass-full. Apply thickly and thoroughly on all parts of your skin exposed to the sun — ears, back, shoulders and the backs of knees and legs. Be careful around the eyes.
Wait 15 to 30 minutes to allow the protective chemicals to react with the top layer of skin.
• Slap on a hat with a wide brim that shades the neck, ears, eyes and head.
• Wrap on some sunglasses, and put them on the kids as well. Dr. Bernard Godley, professor and chairman of Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the medical branch, recommends the amber-colored glasses with specific protection against UV-A, UV-B, and blue light spectrum rays. Look for a label that specifically offers 99-100 percent UV protection and blue-blocker.
“Sunglasses can protect the retina from damage that might lead to macular degeneration and can also protect the cornea layer from developing scarring,” he said. “It’s important to get in the habit of protecting your eyes from childhood.”
Finally, check your skin once a month. Look for changes in the size, shape, color or feel of birthmarks, moles and spots. If you find any changes or find sores that are not healing, see your doctor. Some people are more susceptible to sun damage, including those with fair skin or blond, red or light brown hair, or who have a family history of skin cancer.
SOURCES: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (cdc.gov), the American Cancer Society and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
