As the Southern Hemisphere summer arrives , this information is particularly pertinent for all the Aussie and Kiwi outdoor personal trainers
Pros : With the arrival of summer , it ’ s very timely to discuss skin cancer for outdoor athletes , exercisers and , especially , aquatic enthusiasts . The latter , particularly surfers and stand-up paddle boarders , have greater ultraviolet exposure as they receive direct ultraviolet radiation exposure from the sun and its reflectance from the water . While some sunlight is beneficial as a source of vitamin D , we need to balance these benefits with the risk of skin cancer from sun exposure . However , as Dr Snyder and his colleagues state , the required exposure to sunlight to maintain vitamin D levels is , in fact , minimal .
In our own current study , Dr Nela Rosic , Dr Michael Stapelberg ( a skin cancer specialist ), Brendan Doyle ( Honours student ), Joe and I here at Southern Cross University conducted a skin cancer study where Dr Stapelberg screened over 180 surfers , swimmers and standup paddle boarders We found that over 30 % had pre-skin cancers , over 12 % had basal cell carcinoma skin cancers , 14 % had squamous cell skin cancers and 3.8 % had melanoma skin cancers . This melanoma rate is alarming , as it is 6-fold higher than the Australian national average for the general population .
Certain types of skin are more prone to developing skin cancers . Harvard Medical School developed the Fitzpatrick Skin Type , a classification system that includes six skin types . The free , online calculator will tell you your skin type and your degree of risk for skin cancer . If you are interested in determining your Fitzpatrick skin type ( and you would be advised to do so ), visit
phrogz . net / tmp / FitzpatrickSkinTypeQuiz . html and complete the eight questions .
Australia leads the world in the incidence of non-melanoma and melanoma skin cancer and therefore it is highly advisable to always use both chemical ( i . e . factor 50 + sunscreen lotion and / or zinc ) and physical ( i . e . hat , rashie , long-sleeve shirt ) prevention strategies . Additionally , undergo a total body skin check at least once per year .
We had an interesting participant in our skin cancer research study involving surfers , swimmers and stand-up paddle boarders . A surfer of Japanese descent , he had always been told that he need not worry about skin cancer , as he was Asian . He is very fortunate that he participated in our study as we discovered that he had a melanoma .
Cons : None .
REFERENCES
Rosso , S ., Zanetti , R ., Martinez , C . ( 1996 ). The multicentre south European study ‘ Helios ’. II : different sun exposure patterns in the aetiology of basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas of the skin . British Journal of Cancer . 73 ( 11 ): 1447-1454 . Del Boz , J ., Fernandez-Morano , T ., Padilla-Espana , L . ( 2015 ). Skin cancer prevention and detection campaign at golf courses on Spain ’ s Costa del Sol . Actas Dermosifiliogr . 106 ( 1 ): 51-60 . Noble-Jerks , J ., Weatherby , R ., Meir , R . Selfreported skin cancer protection strategies and location of skin cancer in retired cricketers : a case study from membership of the Emu Cricket Club . Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport . 9 ( 6 ): 441-445 . Climstein , M ., Furness , J ., Hing , W ., & Walsh , J . ( 2016 ). Lifetime prevalence of nonmelanoma and melanoma skin cancer in Australian recreational and competitive surfers . Photodermatol Photoimmunol Photomed . 32 ( 4 ): 207-213 . Cancer Research UK ; How does the sun and UV cause cancer ? https :// www . cancerresearchuk . org / about-cancer / causes-of-cancer / sun-uv-and-cancer / how-does-the-sun-and-uv-cause-cancer
Dr Mike Climstein , PhD FASMF FACSM FAAESS AEP Dr Climstein is one of Australia ’ s leading Accredited Exercise Physiologists . He is a faculty member in Clinical Exercise Physiology , Sport & Exercise Science at Southern Cross University ( Gold Coast ). Dr Joe Walsh , PhD Joe is an exercise science researcher . He has worked in a number of large international research teams with study findings presented around the world . In addition to working in the university sector , he is a director of Fitness Clinic Five Dock and Sport Science Institute . 44 | NETWORK SUMMER 2020