Skin cancer is very common but if detected early, nearly 100 percent of cases may be cured. Roswell Park's skin cancer team offers several highly effective therapies and will work with you to create a personalized treatment plan that meets both your needs and preferences.
In this segment, Ilene Rothman, MD., discusses the important steps you can take to prevent skin cancer; the difference between UVA and UVB rays, how to minimize your risk of skin cancer and melanoma, the precautions to take before spending a day in the sun
and what type of sun screen is best.
Selected Podcast
The Importance of Sun Safety
Featured Speaker:
Learn more about Ilene Rothman, MD
Ilene Rothman, MD
Ilene Rothman, MD, is an Associate Professor of Oncology in the Department of Dermatology at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.Learn more about Ilene Rothman, MD
Transcription:
The Importance of Sun Safety
Bill Klaproth (Host): After a long winter when the weather turns warm, it’s only natural to want to get outside to soak up the sun, but steps should be taken to protect your skin when you head outside. And here to talk with us about sun safety is Dr. Ilene Rothman, Associate Professor of Oncology in the Department of Dermatology at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Rothman, thanks for your time. First off, what is the difference between UVA and UVB rays?
Dr. Ilene Rothman (Guest): Well, the sun has UVA and UVB rays. The UVA rays are more penetrating -- they go deeper; they don’t tend to be the burning rays, but they are the ones that tend to give you a lot of aging and sun damage, deep. The B rays are a shorter wavelength, and they are more of the ones that you think of that will burn your skin. Both are damaging to your skin. They’re just a little bit different. The sun also has ultraviolet C, actually, which is a very short wavelength, but that is completely blocked out by our atmosphere, so we don’t think about that.
Bill: What’s more dangerous to us? Is it UVA-A or UVB?
Dr. Rothman: Well, it’s really a combination. It’s hard to say, and it’s hard to really decipher that because both are damaging. Sometimes you’ll think of ultraviolet A as being a little bit more damaging because it goes deeper, but really both are thought to be involved with setting us up potentially for skin cancer. Probably the ultraviolet A rays can be thought of as a little bit more damaging.
Bill: And how should we protect ourselves from both types?
Dr. Rothman: The best thing to do – fortunately, most sunscreens now are so-called broad spectrum, so they tend to protect against both ultraviolet A and ultraviolet B. The number – the so-called SPF or sun protection factor -- actually is just measured against the ultraviolet B, the short rays, but there are ingredients in sunscreens now that also screen out the ultraviolet A. You want to look for a broad-spectrum sunscreen, and that would be now printed right on there. You want to go at least an SPF of number 30. Above 30 doesn’t make a whole lot of difference. It’s a little bit more of a marketing issue to have those high numbers, but below 30 is definitely not as protective. You want to look for 30 or above, broad-spectrum.
You want to look for something for the most part that’s water-resistant because even if you’re not swimming – if you’re really hot and you’re perspiring, the sunscreen could wash off. It’s better to have the ones that are water-resistant.
Bill: So get a broad-spectrum SPF of at least 30, and make sure you get something water-resistant. Those are really good tips. Which sunscreen is better, spray or lotion?
Dr. Rothman: Well, really the sunscreen that you’re going to use, of course, is the best because you want something that’s going to be agreeable to you. The sprays – there is some concern about the sprays in that number one, you can put it on – it’s hard to know where it’s going, so it can be streaky. If you use the spray, you want to rub it in. The other big concern about the sprays, particularly when they’re used with kids is that you want to make sure you’re not spraying them around the face because it’s not really known how hazardous that could be if you accidentally inhale it. It’s not highly recommended right now for kids until that’s figured out. Although it is convenient to spray those kids quickly, you want to make sure you’re not spraying around their face.
There are other measures aside from sunscreen. What you want to do is aim for the shade. Try to avoid the middle of the day, such as between 10 and 2, or 2 to 3, because that’s when the sun’s rays are the strongest. If you can, try to center your activities either early or late. And then, cover up a little bit. Wear those sun-protective clothing, wear a hat, sunglasses. All those things will help you. You still want to enjoy yourself outdoors, but you don’t want your goal to be to get a tan. You want your goal to be to have fun, but at the same time protect your skin from the sun.
Bill: And how often should we reapply sunscreen?
Dr. Rothman: That’s a great question because what a lot of people do – they think they’re doing a great job; they put their sunscreen on, one. And especially, a lot of women will have it on their makeup. They put it on in the morning, and they think they’re set for the day, and you’re actually not. Sunscreens only last for a couple of hours, and if you’re in the water – even if you have a water-resistant sunscreen, it’s only going to last for about an hour and a half. They’re actually marked. The water-resistant sunscreens now have to have a number on them that they’re either good for 40 minutes or 80 minutes in the sun. You want to look for that, and be sure you adhere to that because it will wear off. Even if you’re not in the water, the sunscreen is only going to last for a couple of hours, so you want to reapply it every couple hours.
Another thing that’s beneficial, if you can, is to put it on a half hour before you go out because it will work better after about a half an hour being on your skin. Now, of course, if you don’t have a chance to do that you still want to use your sunscreen, but if you can, put it on about a half an hour before you go out.
Bill: And are there any other precautions that we should take before spending a day out in the sun?
Dr. Rothman: I think that if you’re going to be planning activities to try to plan them – if you’re going to be in the park all day, look for an area that’s going to be shaded. That’s an important thing, especially if you have kids running around or they’re on play equipment or something like that. It’s nice to have that in a shaded area. Of course, it has nothing to do with being outdoors in the summer except that a related topic is that you want to, at all costs, stay away from tanning beds because that has the potential to give you that deep sun UV damage all year around and those definitely increase the risk of skin cancer.
Bill: And what about UV rated sun protective clothing and hats and sunglasses?
Dr. Rothman: Those are great. What they are is just a really tight weave, so it blocks the sun out. Those are great especially if you’re going to be in an area where you’re not going to be able to avoid the sun – you’re at the beach, or especially for kids, in the water or outside – it’s great to wear those sun protective clothing. They make shirts, they make hats with flaps, they make all kinds of clothing. Those are great if you want to buy those. Hats don’t have to be that particular type, but you want to try to wear a hat that’s going to be ideally broad-brimmed, so it’s going to protect your neck, as well. They make the kind, either with the flaps or just a broad-brimmed hat is really great in the sun.
And then, your eyes are also sensitive to ultraviolet rays, so wear the sunglasses that have the UV protection. That’s marked on the sunglasses now, so that’s important, as well.
Bill: When it comes to kids, at what age is it okay for them to be out in the sun?
Dr. Rothman: The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that before age six months to try to do your best to keep them out of the sun. They do now say – and this is a relatively recent change – that if they are outdoors and get some sun that it’s fine to put sunscreen on them, but you want to cover them up as much as possible, and then those areas that are uncovered, use the sunscreen.
The other thing that you can do that I didn’t mention earlier is you can – an umbrella is great to sit under. If you’re in an area without natural shade, you want to have a beach umbrella or something. Just be aware that a lot of the umbrella material doesn’t block the sun out completely, so still use the sunscreen. It is very important to protect kids from the sun because it’s thought that a lot of the sun damage that we get is during those childhood years when your skin is more susceptible.
Bill: And Dr. Rothman, what should we look for? What are the signs of sun damage on our skin?
Dr. Rothman: The signs of sun damage are things like freckling, so a lot of times we see kids and we think they have freckles and it’s really cute. But really, you don’t have freckles unless you’ve had some sun. You’ll never see a newborn baby with freckles. Freckles mean that you’ve had some sun damage. Don’t panic if you see some freckles, but that is from the sun, and the more you're in the sun – the more you get burned or just getting sun exposure – you’re going to have that freckling on your arms and on your back. If you look at areas of your body that don’t see the sun, such as under your arms, you’ll notice that that is nice and soft and doesn’t have the freckling, so that shows you that the exposed areas with the freckling had sun damage.
You want to watch your skin for signs of skin cancer or precancers, such as a sore that’s not healing, a mole that’s irregular in size, shape, or color, or one that’s changing, a new mole or a new growth. Those are things that should be checked.
Bill: Well, Dr. Rothman, thank you, so much for sharing your time today, and your sun safety tips. For more information, you can visit RoswellPark.org., that’s RoswellPark.org. You’re listening to Cancer Talk with Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. I’m Bill Klaproth, thanks for listening.
The Importance of Sun Safety
Bill Klaproth (Host): After a long winter when the weather turns warm, it’s only natural to want to get outside to soak up the sun, but steps should be taken to protect your skin when you head outside. And here to talk with us about sun safety is Dr. Ilene Rothman, Associate Professor of Oncology in the Department of Dermatology at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Rothman, thanks for your time. First off, what is the difference between UVA and UVB rays?
Dr. Ilene Rothman (Guest): Well, the sun has UVA and UVB rays. The UVA rays are more penetrating -- they go deeper; they don’t tend to be the burning rays, but they are the ones that tend to give you a lot of aging and sun damage, deep. The B rays are a shorter wavelength, and they are more of the ones that you think of that will burn your skin. Both are damaging to your skin. They’re just a little bit different. The sun also has ultraviolet C, actually, which is a very short wavelength, but that is completely blocked out by our atmosphere, so we don’t think about that.
Bill: What’s more dangerous to us? Is it UVA-A or UVB?
Dr. Rothman: Well, it’s really a combination. It’s hard to say, and it’s hard to really decipher that because both are damaging. Sometimes you’ll think of ultraviolet A as being a little bit more damaging because it goes deeper, but really both are thought to be involved with setting us up potentially for skin cancer. Probably the ultraviolet A rays can be thought of as a little bit more damaging.
Bill: And how should we protect ourselves from both types?
Dr. Rothman: The best thing to do – fortunately, most sunscreens now are so-called broad spectrum, so they tend to protect against both ultraviolet A and ultraviolet B. The number – the so-called SPF or sun protection factor -- actually is just measured against the ultraviolet B, the short rays, but there are ingredients in sunscreens now that also screen out the ultraviolet A. You want to look for a broad-spectrum sunscreen, and that would be now printed right on there. You want to go at least an SPF of number 30. Above 30 doesn’t make a whole lot of difference. It’s a little bit more of a marketing issue to have those high numbers, but below 30 is definitely not as protective. You want to look for 30 or above, broad-spectrum.
You want to look for something for the most part that’s water-resistant because even if you’re not swimming – if you’re really hot and you’re perspiring, the sunscreen could wash off. It’s better to have the ones that are water-resistant.
Bill: So get a broad-spectrum SPF of at least 30, and make sure you get something water-resistant. Those are really good tips. Which sunscreen is better, spray or lotion?
Dr. Rothman: Well, really the sunscreen that you’re going to use, of course, is the best because you want something that’s going to be agreeable to you. The sprays – there is some concern about the sprays in that number one, you can put it on – it’s hard to know where it’s going, so it can be streaky. If you use the spray, you want to rub it in. The other big concern about the sprays, particularly when they’re used with kids is that you want to make sure you’re not spraying them around the face because it’s not really known how hazardous that could be if you accidentally inhale it. It’s not highly recommended right now for kids until that’s figured out. Although it is convenient to spray those kids quickly, you want to make sure you’re not spraying around their face.
There are other measures aside from sunscreen. What you want to do is aim for the shade. Try to avoid the middle of the day, such as between 10 and 2, or 2 to 3, because that’s when the sun’s rays are the strongest. If you can, try to center your activities either early or late. And then, cover up a little bit. Wear those sun-protective clothing, wear a hat, sunglasses. All those things will help you. You still want to enjoy yourself outdoors, but you don’t want your goal to be to get a tan. You want your goal to be to have fun, but at the same time protect your skin from the sun.
Bill: And how often should we reapply sunscreen?
Dr. Rothman: That’s a great question because what a lot of people do – they think they’re doing a great job; they put their sunscreen on, one. And especially, a lot of women will have it on their makeup. They put it on in the morning, and they think they’re set for the day, and you’re actually not. Sunscreens only last for a couple of hours, and if you’re in the water – even if you have a water-resistant sunscreen, it’s only going to last for about an hour and a half. They’re actually marked. The water-resistant sunscreens now have to have a number on them that they’re either good for 40 minutes or 80 minutes in the sun. You want to look for that, and be sure you adhere to that because it will wear off. Even if you’re not in the water, the sunscreen is only going to last for a couple of hours, so you want to reapply it every couple hours.
Another thing that’s beneficial, if you can, is to put it on a half hour before you go out because it will work better after about a half an hour being on your skin. Now, of course, if you don’t have a chance to do that you still want to use your sunscreen, but if you can, put it on about a half an hour before you go out.
Bill: And are there any other precautions that we should take before spending a day out in the sun?
Dr. Rothman: I think that if you’re going to be planning activities to try to plan them – if you’re going to be in the park all day, look for an area that’s going to be shaded. That’s an important thing, especially if you have kids running around or they’re on play equipment or something like that. It’s nice to have that in a shaded area. Of course, it has nothing to do with being outdoors in the summer except that a related topic is that you want to, at all costs, stay away from tanning beds because that has the potential to give you that deep sun UV damage all year around and those definitely increase the risk of skin cancer.
Bill: And what about UV rated sun protective clothing and hats and sunglasses?
Dr. Rothman: Those are great. What they are is just a really tight weave, so it blocks the sun out. Those are great especially if you’re going to be in an area where you’re not going to be able to avoid the sun – you’re at the beach, or especially for kids, in the water or outside – it’s great to wear those sun protective clothing. They make shirts, they make hats with flaps, they make all kinds of clothing. Those are great if you want to buy those. Hats don’t have to be that particular type, but you want to try to wear a hat that’s going to be ideally broad-brimmed, so it’s going to protect your neck, as well. They make the kind, either with the flaps or just a broad-brimmed hat is really great in the sun.
And then, your eyes are also sensitive to ultraviolet rays, so wear the sunglasses that have the UV protection. That’s marked on the sunglasses now, so that’s important, as well.
Bill: When it comes to kids, at what age is it okay for them to be out in the sun?
Dr. Rothman: The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that before age six months to try to do your best to keep them out of the sun. They do now say – and this is a relatively recent change – that if they are outdoors and get some sun that it’s fine to put sunscreen on them, but you want to cover them up as much as possible, and then those areas that are uncovered, use the sunscreen.
The other thing that you can do that I didn’t mention earlier is you can – an umbrella is great to sit under. If you’re in an area without natural shade, you want to have a beach umbrella or something. Just be aware that a lot of the umbrella material doesn’t block the sun out completely, so still use the sunscreen. It is very important to protect kids from the sun because it’s thought that a lot of the sun damage that we get is during those childhood years when your skin is more susceptible.
Bill: And Dr. Rothman, what should we look for? What are the signs of sun damage on our skin?
Dr. Rothman: The signs of sun damage are things like freckling, so a lot of times we see kids and we think they have freckles and it’s really cute. But really, you don’t have freckles unless you’ve had some sun. You’ll never see a newborn baby with freckles. Freckles mean that you’ve had some sun damage. Don’t panic if you see some freckles, but that is from the sun, and the more you're in the sun – the more you get burned or just getting sun exposure – you’re going to have that freckling on your arms and on your back. If you look at areas of your body that don’t see the sun, such as under your arms, you’ll notice that that is nice and soft and doesn’t have the freckling, so that shows you that the exposed areas with the freckling had sun damage.
You want to watch your skin for signs of skin cancer or precancers, such as a sore that’s not healing, a mole that’s irregular in size, shape, or color, or one that’s changing, a new mole or a new growth. Those are things that should be checked.
Bill: Well, Dr. Rothman, thank you, so much for sharing your time today, and your sun safety tips. For more information, you can visit RoswellPark.org., that’s RoswellPark.org. You’re listening to Cancer Talk with Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. I’m Bill Klaproth, thanks for listening.