HEALTH CORNER
A Day at the Beach
is no Day at the Beach
It’s good to be outdoors in the summer sun, staying active and enjoying
a vigorous lifestyle. Just do it in a healthy manner. And know the risks.
BY STEVE KAUFMAN | ILLUSTRATION BY ADAM KLEINERT
Oh, the things we tell ourselves when the
summer sun begins to blaze.
I’ll only be out for a little bit.
I’ll wear a hat.
I have sun screen.
It’s overcast.
It’s just golf.
I never burn.
The problem is, this isn’t about falling asleep
on the beach, getting a bad burn and being in
pain for a few days. This is about cancer.
Skin cancer is like any other cancer. Abnormal
cells grow and multiply, often ignited by the
ultraviolet rays of the sun.
Not all skin cancers are the same. Not all are
potentially fatal. Not all skin pigmentations are
as susceptible to sun-related skin cancer as
others. There are all kinds of factors related to
12 EXTOL SPORTS / MAY 2017
skin cancer, as to other cancers: health history,
family health history, age, lifestyle.
But why would you want to roll the dice?
There are risks because there are so many
things people don’t know or don’t understand,
said Dr. Jae Jung, oncologic dermatologist at
the Norton Cancer Institute. “There are right
and wrong ways to apply sunscreen,” she said.
“There are right and wrong clothes to wear. And
there are right and wrong ways to evaluate the
marks and moles on your skin so you know the
proper actions to take.”
As an oncologic dermatologist, Jung is used
to seeing patients who already have a diagnosed
issue. So maybe she seems more cautious than
others might be. But her advice is an excellent
roadmap to avoiding problems and addressing
common mistakes, like these:
My sunscreen has a 30 SPF. That’s the
recommended level by the American Academy
of Dermatology. I’m good!
Not necessarily, said Jung. “The academy’s
recommendations are based on the testing it does.
But they tend to lather it on in thicker amounts
during their tests than most people do. At thicker
amounts, it’s messy, or sticky, or uncomfortable,
especially on the face – or it becomes expensive
when you use so much at one time.”
As a result, she said, people use thinner
amounts. And that’s less effective.
“I recommend an SPF of 50 or above. And even
then, layer it on thickly. And cover everything
that’s exposed – hands, feet, ears.”
Any exposure to the sun – playing golf, going
fishing, even just walking your dog – can be
problematic.
“C o v e r w h a t e v e r i s e x p o s e d ,” Ju n g
recommended.