How to avoid sun overexposure.

A7

Hanne Armstrong

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It's summer. It's sunny. You want to work on perfecting your tan. You want to be out there on the beach, in a boat, on the soccer field, or on your porch. So, you slather yourself with sun screen, but you're not sure what that SPF number really means, or if it matters. Or you paint yourself white with sun block, figuring something that ugly has to work. Maybe you wear clothes that cover you from head to toe, and maybe, on second thought, it's safer to pop a movie into the DVD player in the basement.

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Or you just head out into the sun, thinking that danger from the sun is nothing more than a lot of hype that sells papers.

Don't do that.

"Basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma are definitely sun-related," states pharmacist Peter Ford of Ford's Apothecary on St. George Blvd. in Moncton.

"Live your life, but be sun-smart," says Moncton dermatologist Dr. Chantal Chiasson. "Wear a hat with a wide brim, whenever possible avoid being in the sun from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., stay in the shade as much as possible, and wear clothes that protect you from the sun. Use sun screen."

So, live your life, but change how you do it, seems to be the message. Let's start with sun screen and that all-important SPF number. What is it, anyway?

"SPF stands for 'Sun Protection Factor'," explains Peter. "It's an accurate indication of how long you can stay in the sun. For instance, the 'burn time' for a particular day might be 15 minutes. If you use a sun screen with an SPF of 45, then you can stay out for 675 minutes, or just over 11 hours. Just multiply the SPF by the burn time."

How do you know what the burn time is? Check newspapers, and radio stations; it's become part of the daily forecast. But beware, because fair-skinned people burn more quickly than darker-skinned people, and sweating or swimming wash the sun screen off, so you have to re-apply it regardless of the math you just did.

And make sure your sun screen contains Mexoryl XL, which protects against UVA rays as well as UVB.

If you're going out on the water for the day, you might want to consider using sun block. These are generally made from zinc or titanium dioxide, and block the sun's rays from reaching your skin. Traditionally, they go on white and stay white, but there are newer ones which go on clear.

"Something to be aware of, whether you're using screen or block," Peter cautions, "is that you shouldn't combine them with DEET, the active ingredient in many insect repellents. They enhance the absorption of DEET into your central nervous system."

So, you've decided not to hide in the basement, you're covered in sun screen, you've got a hat, and off you go. Are there other things that can help?

"Vitamin C is an anti-oxident," says Peter, "and it can prevent oxidative damage to cells. 500mgs twice a day can help."

There, now next time you read about the incidence of melanoma being on the rise, you can feel safe, right? Maybe. Safer, anyway. Dermatologists and researchers are finding that melanomas are appearing in places that aren't exposed to the sun, which means there may be additional causes for this most deadly of skin cancers. Many possible causes are being explored, including genetics and lack of Vitamin D.

"There's a link between low Vitamin D levels and melanoma as well as several other cancers," says Peter.

Researchers agree, and the fact that much of our Vitamin D comes from the sun only complicates the issue. Go out in the sun for Vitamin D and risk skin cancer? Not necessarily. According to vitamindcouncil.org, "Most of us make about 20,000 units of vitamin D after about 20 minutes of summer sun. This is about 100 times more vitamin D than the government says you need every day."

"Try to get your sun in the early morning or late afternoon," advises Chantal.

Obviously it's not as simple as sun bad, shade good. We need some sun, but the sun's rays are definitively known to cause both basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma, and aren't close to being dismissed as a cause of melanoma. Sun screens and sun blocks work when used according to instructions, taking into account your skin type and the SPF of the product. Inform yourself, and use common sense.

You can always watch that movie on a rainy day.