Saving Your Skin
By Amanda Cuda, Connecticut Post, Bridgeport
Jul. 11–Dr. Robert Patrignelli has a daily ritual. Every morning, right after he gets out of the shower, Patrignelli, a Trumbull dermatologist, applies sunscreen from head to toe, including the tips of his ears. He makes sure his children follow the same ritual, and that they always wear a hat when it’s hot and steamy out.
It’s his way of protecting himself and his family from the ravages of the summer sun. Sun is one of a number of potential dangers facing your skin in the summer. Others include bug bites and poisonous plants, such as poison ivy.
But Patrignelli said the sun is maybe the biggest hot weather concern for dermatologists, mainly because so many people still have misconceptions about it. For instance, even in our eco-conscious times, he said, many people still think that a little “color,” in the form of a suntan, is actually healthy.
Not true.
“There’s no such thing as a safe tan or a healthy tan,” said Patrignelli, who is affiliated with St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport.
In fact, he said, a tan is the result of sun damage to the skin. Long-term exposure to the sun and its harmful ultraviolet radiation, can result in more severe damage, including wrinkles, loss of skin elasticity, dark patches (also known as age spots) and skin cancers.
The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 1 million new cases of basal and squamous cell skin cancers will be diagnosed this year. The most serious form of skin cancer, melanoma, is diagnosed in more than 60,000 people every year and causes several thousand deaths.
To protect your skin from both cancer and premature aging, Patrignelli suggests you follow his morning sunscreen application routine. He said it’s a good idea to apply the sunscreen soon after showering or bathing, when the skin is still somewhat moist.”Sunscreen absorbs better into your skin when you’re a little bit damp,” Patrignelli said.
He also stresses that you be thorough — a lot of skin cancers occur on the tops of the ears, a spot often missed during sunscreen application. And don’t think you can skip the sunscreen just because you won’t be heading to the beach that day. Patrignelli said skin is even vulnerable to sun damage through the windshield of your car. He said he’s seen a number of people with premature aging on their hands, which were exposed to the sun while gripping the steering wheel.
The type of sunscreen you apply is as important as how you apply it. Dr. Mark Oestreicher, chairman of Bridgeport Hospital’s dermatology department, recommends a sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or 20, and that you look for a lotion that protects against both types of ultraviolet radiation, UVA and UVB. Oestreicher said finding a lotion with UVA and UVB protection is just as important as the SPF number.
“The big fallacy is that that number is most important thing,” he said.
Each type of UV ray is more prominent at a different time of day, he said. UVB rays hit between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., and are the rays that typically cause sunburn. UVA rays hit after 2 p.m., and still can cause damage to the skin.
In addition to wearing sunscreen, be sure to cover as much skin as you can with clothing, said Dr. Nira Silverman, an Ansonia dermatologist affiliated with Griffin Hospital. “Clothing is actually more effective than sunscreen,” she said. “But you can’t cover everything,” so a mix of clothing and sunscreen is best.
As far as other summer skin dangers, the doctors all said bug bites are a particular concern this time of year. Mosquitoes, bees and, of course, ticks are among the creatures you need to fear in the summer months. The experts suggest applying some sort of insect repellent before venturing out, such as Avon Skin So Soft. Or, for those seeking a more natural repellent, Oestreicher recommends taking vitamin B1, available at most health food stores. He said the vitamin causes the skin to emit a scent, which, though imperceptible to most humans, appalls insects.
Of particular concern are the ticks, certain types of which cause Lyme disease. Lyme disease is an illness that, left untreated, can spread to the joints, heart and nervous system. The experts recommend checking for ticks after venturing out into wooded areas, and removing those you see. Poison ivy, poison oak and other poison plants also pose a threat to your skin, as exposure to them can result in an itchy, red rash. The rash is caused by an oily resin contained in the plants, and Silverman said it can take a while to develop.
She said, if you think you’ve been exposed to poison ivy or the like, take a shower as soon as you get home. Silverman said, contrary to myth, rashes caused by poison plants aren’t themselves contagious. As long you wash off the oil from the plant, you don’t risk spreading the rash to others.
Other ways you can protect your skin during the summer include drinking lots of water, as hydration is important to maintaining healthy skin. The American Dietetic Association recommends at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day.
But taking care of your skin doesn’t mean you can’t have any summer fun, Oestreicher said. It just means you have to plan, and balance outdoor time with indoor time to limit exposure to the elements. For instance, he said, if you’re going to be outside playing tennis for a certain amount of time, make sure you have lunch indoors. “You can go outdoors all you want,” Oestreicher said. “Just don’t spend the whole time outside.”
—–
To see more of the Connecticut Post, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.connpost.com/.
Copyright (c) 2007, Connecticut Post, Bridgeport
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.