Skin cancer can cut short your days in the sun

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Skin cancer can cut short your days in the sun

By Kim Painter, Special for USA TODAY

When Ellen Marmur reminds patients to wear sunscreen and keep their children out

of the mid-day sun, she speaks with some authority — and not just because she is

a dermatologist.

Marmur, who is 42 and practices in New York City, has had two skin cancers

removed from her face. Both were basal cell carcinomas. (Basal and squamous cell

carcinomas are more common but less dangerous than melanoma, the most deadly

form of skin cancer.)

Marmur traces her troubles back to her teens, when she spent many hours baking

in the sun and even used a tanning booth a few times. " Having a tan was all the

rage, " she says.

And despite much evidence linking tanning (and burning) with skin cancer, it

remains popular: 80% of white teenage girls and young women said they'd tanned

outdoors, and 32% said they used tanning salons in the past year in a new survey

from the American Academy of Dermatology.

" It's alarming how many young girls still have the idea that tanning is OK, "

says academy president Moy, a Beverly Hills dermatologist.

It's not just teens, though: Two-thirds of the young women who used tanning

salons said their moms did, too. And Moy and Marmur say they see plenty of men

with skin cancer and a life-long history of self-inflicted sun damage.

Most skin cancers " are really preventable, " says Sophie Balk, a pediatrician at

Children's Hospital at Montefiore in New York. She is lead author of a recent

review of the dangers of indoor and outdoor ultraviolet radiation published by

the American Academy of Pediatrics.

So, here's the latest on how to protect your family.

Use sunscreen and use it correctly

Here's a hint: If you bought one bottle of sunscreen last summer and you still

have it, you are not using enough. That's the biggest mistake consumers make.

" You need to put it on liberally, " Moy says. Rule of thumb: An adult needs about

1 ounce to cover the body. And once is not enough. You should reapply it at

least every two hours, and more often if you get wet , Moy says.

" I'm a surfer here in California, and I know nothing stays on all that well, " he

says. " You need to reapply it as soon as you get out of the water. "

Other things to know:

•The " sun protection factor, " or SPF, tells you how well the product protects

you from the sun's burning ultraviolet B (UVB) rays. But you also need

protection from ultraviolet A (UVA) rays. Both contribute to skin cancer. So

choose a " broad spectrum " product. (Labels that rank UVA protection levels could

be required under rules still under a years-long review by the Food and Drug

Administration.)

•Medical groups recommend products with SPF ratings of at least 15 or 30.

•Some researchers have raised questions about whether some sunscreen ingredients

might be harmful, especially for children. But " sunscreens have never been shown

to be toxic in children, " Balk says. " We do know that too much sun exposure

raises your risk of cancer. "

But don't rely on sunscreen alone

Those lotions, sprays and creams should be just part of your family's sun

protection strategy.

Other important steps:

•Limit your sun exposure, especially between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. It can be done,

even on a beach trip, Marmur says. She and her husband do it every summer with

their four kids, she says. " Our kids know we wake up and bring our coffee and

breakfast to the beach. We are the only people there from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Then we come back at 4 p.m. for the wonderful late afternoon light. "

•When you are out gardening, walking, biking, playing or otherwise enjoying the

outdoors, cover up with long-sleeved shirts and pants and wide-brimmed hats

whenever possible.

" We want kids to play outside and everyone to engage in physical activity, " Balk

says. " But we want people to do it safely. "

What about vitamin D?

Exposing your skin to the sun prompts your body to make more vitamin D. And you

need the vitamin for strong bones. It may also have other health benefits. But a

recent report from the Institute of Medicine says scientists have not proved

vitamin D prevents cancer, heart disease, diabetes and immune dysfunction. And,

at least under current standards, most Americans have adequate blood levels of

the vitamin, says the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Studies continue. But for now, the institute says 600 international units (IU)

daily is enough for most people up to age 70. Older people might need 800 IU,

the group says. Some doctors continue to recommend 1,000 IU or more — amounts

that would be hard to get in the typical American diet (from sources including

fatty fish and fortified milk), but easy to get in supplements.

In any case, there's no need to bare flesh to the sun, Moy says. " It's just not

worth the skin cancer risk. This is something people can die from. "

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