Summer is just around the corner, and after a long winter, many of us can’t wait for those pool days and hours in the sun. But before you grab your favorite magazine and relax poolside, be sure to apply your sunscreen.
According to the American Cancer Society®, skin cancer is the most common type of cancer with nearly 3.5 million cases each year in the US. Taking preventive measures, such as applying sunscreen, wearing the proper clothing and limiting your time outdoors, is the best defense against the sun’s harmful rays.
Listen in as Dr. Dolores Olivarez discusses skin cancer prevention and what you can easily do to help prevent one of the most common cancers.
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Skin Cancer Prevention
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Learn more about Dr. Olivarez
Dolores Olivarez, MD
Dr. Olivarez attended Cornell University Medical College and completed her residency at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. She joined the medical staff of Schneck Medical Center in 1998.Learn more about Dr. Olivarez
Transcription:
Skin Cancer Prevention
Bill Klaproth (Host): One in five Americans will develop skin cancer over the course of a lifetime. It is estimated that 8,500 people are diagnosed with skin cancer every day and that's a number you don't want to be a part of. With us today is Dr. Dolores Olivarez, a cancer doctor at Schneck Medical Center. She's going to talk to us about skin cancer protection. Dr. Olivarez, thank you so much for your time today. So, why does it seem like we are losing the battle to skin cancer? With all of the warnings we hear and all of the advice to put sunscreen on, why is this still such a problem today?
Dr. Dolores Olivarez (Guest): Well, the reason that patients develop skin cancer is exposure to the sun, especially exposure at younger ages. And, we're still in a time when, especially older patients, didn't know about all of the prevention and protection strategies that we do today.
Bill: So, it starts young. That's what I'm hearing from you. So, right away, Mom and Dad listening to this, make sure you are protecting your children from the sun right away.
Dr. Olivarez: Absolutely.
Bill: So that damage that children incur early in life becomes even more so damaging later on?
Dr. Olivarez: Right. It’s the UV radiation from sunlight.
Bill: You know, I've heard that if you incur a bad sunburn early in life, that stays with you throughout your whole life.
Dr. Olivarez: The damage does. That's right. It damages the skin. It is the sun exposure early in life, especially sun exposure that causes severe sunburn, is what especially increases the risk for sun cancers.
Bill: So, that's one thing you really want to avoid with children, is a sunburn early on in age. And, hence, we hear all the time about make sure you're putting sunscreen on, put a hat on the kid, or, even better, if you're at the beach, sit under the umbrella, right? So, staying out of the sun is a good measure of sun protection, too.
Dr. Olivarez: Exactly. Protection from the sun, photo protection--avoiding the sun at peak hours, when the sun is at its height, 10-2, generally speaking, wearing sun protective clothing, wearing a hat and sunglasses and wearing sunscreen.
Bill: Well, that's all very, very good advice. Dr. Olivarez, it seems like we hear more about skin cancer all the time. Is there one person that's more likely to get skin cancer over another?
Dr. Olivarez: Well, anyone can get skin cancer regardless of the color of their skin. But, fair people: blond, red hair, blue eyes are at highest risk.
Bill: And what about occupational workers? People who work outside?
Dr. Olivarez: People who work outside. People who get exposed to UV rays.
Bill: It just seems like if you are a construction worker and you're outside all day, along in that tool sack with your hammer and your drill, you should have sunscreen, right?
Dr. Olivarez: Indeed.
Bill: That just seems to make sense. And, what are your thoughts on tanning beds? Because I know in my neighborhood, I drive around, I still see tanning salons all over the place. Those are bad, right?
Dr. Olivarez: They are bad.
Bill: And what are the lights? So, it's just UV light in those?
Dr. Olivarez: Yes, it is UV ultraviolet light in the tanning bed. It's the same as UV rays, or radiation from the sun.
Bill: Is there a right way to get a suntan? I know that sounds like a crazy question but is there a proper way to do it correctly?
Dr. Olivarez: I don't know if there's a correct or proper way to do it. It's best to avoid it.
Bill: Well, there you go. That's right. It's best not to even get one in the first place. So, can you talk about sunscreen just a little bit here? We talk about the broad spectrum sunscreen. Can you explain that a little bit to us?
Dr. Olivarez: Yes, so it's a definition of ultraviolet light. So, a broad spectrum sunscreen screens for ultraviolet A and ultraviolet B or UVA and UVB.
Bill: So, when looking for a sunscreen, you want to make sure that...
Dr. Olivarez: You want to make sure that it says “broad spectrum” on it and that it covers UVA and UVB rays. That's right.
Bill: And, the SPF factor which is sun protection factor, what do you recommend? I know there is as low as 15 on some and 50 and above on others. What's your recommendation?
Dr. Olivarez: Absolutely. So, the relationship between SPF number to protection is not a linear number. In other words, SPF 30 is not twice as much as SPF 15. SPF 15 is about 93 percent protective. SPF 30 is about 97 percent protective. Fifty is about 98 percent protective. So, when you go much beyond SPF 50 it's really adding a very little amount. So what you want is at least SPF 15, and 30 and 50 are fine. What's more important is putting on enough sunscreen. I think most of us don't realize that you have to put on enough sunscreen. It needs to be a thick layer. And, especially when we're out in sun and sweating, we need to put our sunscreen on more than once. And reapply, I've read anywhere around every two hours or so.
Bill: I was just going to ask you how often you should re-apply and, certainly, if you're in and out of the water, that makes sense that it would be a lot more often.
Dr. Olivarez: Exactly.
Bill: So, let's switch gears just a little bit. If somebody does develop skin cancer, melanoma, just tell us about early warning. What should people be looking for on their skin?
Dr. Olivarez: So, what we classically talk about is the ABCD and E of melanoma. When a dark skin abnormality is asymmetric, which is "A"; when the border looks irregular, that's the "B". When the color is variable--so that maybe one part of the area is dark and the other part is lighter. If it's larger than about 6 millimeters, it raises a bit more concern or if it starts to look different. And, often patients will tell me, "I notice that this area, this mole on my skin just started to look different and that's what raised my concern."
Bill: So, you can have a mole...
Dr. Olivarez: Maybe changed size, changed color, started looking light brown to a really dark brown or, for example, started growing, so any change.
Bill: So, you can have a mole for a long time and then after a period of years, then all the sudden it's like, “You know, I've had this mole on my arm for a long time. Now, the shape is changing and it's getting darker”, so that's what we should all watch out for.
Dr. Olivarez: Exactly.
Bill: Is there a timeframe, when you see that, is it imperative that then don't wait, get to the doctor. Is that right?
Dr. Olivarez: Yes. Yes, I would agree. If there's a concern, get to your family doctor or a dermatologist and if that doctor's concerned, they will remove it and look at that abnormality under the microscope to see if it looks like cancer.
Bill: Absolutely. Well that's great information Dr. Olivarez. I thank you for being on with us today. And why should someone choose Schneck Medical Center for their healthcare needs?
Dr. Olivarez: We are a part of our community. We strive always to give excellent medical care because we care about the community.
Bill: Excellent. Thank you again so much for your time. We appreciate it. For more information visit SchneckMed.org. That's SchneckMed.org. This is Schneck Radio. I'm Bill Klaproth. Thanks for listening.
Skin Cancer Prevention
Bill Klaproth (Host): One in five Americans will develop skin cancer over the course of a lifetime. It is estimated that 8,500 people are diagnosed with skin cancer every day and that's a number you don't want to be a part of. With us today is Dr. Dolores Olivarez, a cancer doctor at Schneck Medical Center. She's going to talk to us about skin cancer protection. Dr. Olivarez, thank you so much for your time today. So, why does it seem like we are losing the battle to skin cancer? With all of the warnings we hear and all of the advice to put sunscreen on, why is this still such a problem today?
Dr. Dolores Olivarez (Guest): Well, the reason that patients develop skin cancer is exposure to the sun, especially exposure at younger ages. And, we're still in a time when, especially older patients, didn't know about all of the prevention and protection strategies that we do today.
Bill: So, it starts young. That's what I'm hearing from you. So, right away, Mom and Dad listening to this, make sure you are protecting your children from the sun right away.
Dr. Olivarez: Absolutely.
Bill: So that damage that children incur early in life becomes even more so damaging later on?
Dr. Olivarez: Right. It’s the UV radiation from sunlight.
Bill: You know, I've heard that if you incur a bad sunburn early in life, that stays with you throughout your whole life.
Dr. Olivarez: The damage does. That's right. It damages the skin. It is the sun exposure early in life, especially sun exposure that causes severe sunburn, is what especially increases the risk for sun cancers.
Bill: So, that's one thing you really want to avoid with children, is a sunburn early on in age. And, hence, we hear all the time about make sure you're putting sunscreen on, put a hat on the kid, or, even better, if you're at the beach, sit under the umbrella, right? So, staying out of the sun is a good measure of sun protection, too.
Dr. Olivarez: Exactly. Protection from the sun, photo protection--avoiding the sun at peak hours, when the sun is at its height, 10-2, generally speaking, wearing sun protective clothing, wearing a hat and sunglasses and wearing sunscreen.
Bill: Well, that's all very, very good advice. Dr. Olivarez, it seems like we hear more about skin cancer all the time. Is there one person that's more likely to get skin cancer over another?
Dr. Olivarez: Well, anyone can get skin cancer regardless of the color of their skin. But, fair people: blond, red hair, blue eyes are at highest risk.
Bill: And what about occupational workers? People who work outside?
Dr. Olivarez: People who work outside. People who get exposed to UV rays.
Bill: It just seems like if you are a construction worker and you're outside all day, along in that tool sack with your hammer and your drill, you should have sunscreen, right?
Dr. Olivarez: Indeed.
Bill: That just seems to make sense. And, what are your thoughts on tanning beds? Because I know in my neighborhood, I drive around, I still see tanning salons all over the place. Those are bad, right?
Dr. Olivarez: They are bad.
Bill: And what are the lights? So, it's just UV light in those?
Dr. Olivarez: Yes, it is UV ultraviolet light in the tanning bed. It's the same as UV rays, or radiation from the sun.
Bill: Is there a right way to get a suntan? I know that sounds like a crazy question but is there a proper way to do it correctly?
Dr. Olivarez: I don't know if there's a correct or proper way to do it. It's best to avoid it.
Bill: Well, there you go. That's right. It's best not to even get one in the first place. So, can you talk about sunscreen just a little bit here? We talk about the broad spectrum sunscreen. Can you explain that a little bit to us?
Dr. Olivarez: Yes, so it's a definition of ultraviolet light. So, a broad spectrum sunscreen screens for ultraviolet A and ultraviolet B or UVA and UVB.
Bill: So, when looking for a sunscreen, you want to make sure that...
Dr. Olivarez: You want to make sure that it says “broad spectrum” on it and that it covers UVA and UVB rays. That's right.
Bill: And, the SPF factor which is sun protection factor, what do you recommend? I know there is as low as 15 on some and 50 and above on others. What's your recommendation?
Dr. Olivarez: Absolutely. So, the relationship between SPF number to protection is not a linear number. In other words, SPF 30 is not twice as much as SPF 15. SPF 15 is about 93 percent protective. SPF 30 is about 97 percent protective. Fifty is about 98 percent protective. So, when you go much beyond SPF 50 it's really adding a very little amount. So what you want is at least SPF 15, and 30 and 50 are fine. What's more important is putting on enough sunscreen. I think most of us don't realize that you have to put on enough sunscreen. It needs to be a thick layer. And, especially when we're out in sun and sweating, we need to put our sunscreen on more than once. And reapply, I've read anywhere around every two hours or so.
Bill: I was just going to ask you how often you should re-apply and, certainly, if you're in and out of the water, that makes sense that it would be a lot more often.
Dr. Olivarez: Exactly.
Bill: So, let's switch gears just a little bit. If somebody does develop skin cancer, melanoma, just tell us about early warning. What should people be looking for on their skin?
Dr. Olivarez: So, what we classically talk about is the ABCD and E of melanoma. When a dark skin abnormality is asymmetric, which is "A"; when the border looks irregular, that's the "B". When the color is variable--so that maybe one part of the area is dark and the other part is lighter. If it's larger than about 6 millimeters, it raises a bit more concern or if it starts to look different. And, often patients will tell me, "I notice that this area, this mole on my skin just started to look different and that's what raised my concern."
Bill: So, you can have a mole...
Dr. Olivarez: Maybe changed size, changed color, started looking light brown to a really dark brown or, for example, started growing, so any change.
Bill: So, you can have a mole for a long time and then after a period of years, then all the sudden it's like, “You know, I've had this mole on my arm for a long time. Now, the shape is changing and it's getting darker”, so that's what we should all watch out for.
Dr. Olivarez: Exactly.
Bill: Is there a timeframe, when you see that, is it imperative that then don't wait, get to the doctor. Is that right?
Dr. Olivarez: Yes. Yes, I would agree. If there's a concern, get to your family doctor or a dermatologist and if that doctor's concerned, they will remove it and look at that abnormality under the microscope to see if it looks like cancer.
Bill: Absolutely. Well that's great information Dr. Olivarez. I thank you for being on with us today. And why should someone choose Schneck Medical Center for their healthcare needs?
Dr. Olivarez: We are a part of our community. We strive always to give excellent medical care because we care about the community.
Bill: Excellent. Thank you again so much for your time. We appreciate it. For more information visit SchneckMed.org. That's SchneckMed.org. This is Schneck Radio. I'm Bill Klaproth. Thanks for listening.