Healthy Skin Handbook
You’re aware that the sun causes dark spots and fine lines, but it’s also behind a very scary threat to your health: skin cancer. With rates skyrocketing in young women, it’s crucial that you stay safe.
Sure, you’ve heard the warnings: Wear sunscreen, cover up at the beach, skip the tanning bed. Still, even though these sun-safe pronouncements are so prevalent, a lot of women disregard the message. Only 34 percent of young adults under 25 say that they regularly use sunscreen, reports a 2003 survey from the American Academy of Dermatology. If you’re part of the sans-sunscreen group, then we need to clue you in to something: You’re basically inviting skin cancer. Consider the fact that just five sunburns at any time in your life double your odds of developing it.
Yes, it sounds harsh, but that’s because it is. Skin cancer is the most prevalent of all cancers. Melanoma, the deadliest form of the disease, is now the second most common cancer in women between the ages of 20 and 29, according to the American Cancer Society. And rates of basal-cell carcinoma and squamous- cell carcinoma — the two less lethal forms of the disease — have more than doubled in the past generation among 20- and 30-somethings, reports a 2005 study from the Mayo Clinic.
It’s enough for many dermatologists to consider skin cancer to be at record levels. “When I first started practicing 20 years ago, skin cancer was a disease of senior citizens — even seeing someone in her 30s with it was unusual,” explains Richard Fried, MD, PhD, clinical director of the Yardley Skin Enhancement and Wellness Center in Yardley, Pennsylvania. “Now, I regularly remove skin cancers from 20- and 30-somethings, and sometimes even teens, and I barely bat an eye.”
The skin-cancer surge can mainly be chalked up to our sun-worshipping culture, explains James Spencer, MD, clinical professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. A major part of this is the popularity of tanning salons. Several studies have linked indoor tanning to all three skin-cancer types, and yet young women are still cooking themselves under sunlamps — convinced they look thinner and healthier with a year-round bronzing, says Dr. Spencer.
And here’s the crazy thing: Skin cancer is almost 100 percent preventable — if you strike a balance between enjoying the great outdoors and cutting your risk factors. But before you can commit yourself to taking the necessary steps, it helps to know the myths about what does and doesn’t lead to sun damage. Your primer for practicing safe sun starts here.
MYTH: A Sunburn Does More Damage Than a Suntan
It’s been dubbed a healthy glow, but surprisingly, a suntan is actually just as destructive to your skin as a raw, pink sunburn. “Both a tan and a burn are triggered by UVA and UVB rays, two types of invisible light emitted by the sun and indoor tanning beds,” explains Martin A. Weinstock, MD, PhD, professor of dermatology at Brown University Medical School and chair of the American Cancer Society Skin Cancer Advisory Group. Research isn’t clear on whether one type of ray is more closely linked to skin cancer than the other, but what researchers do know is that both can adversely affect the DNA of skin cells — a precursor to cancer.
Considering that both a burn and a tan are toxic to your skin, it is time to bury another long-standing sun lie: that getting a base tan protects your skin from subsequent sun exposure. “It’s not true — any little bit of color you weren’t born with is a sign that your skin has been exposed to UV rays,” explains David Leffell, MD, vice president of the Skin Cancer Foundation and professor of dermatology at Yale University School of Medicine. “Sun damage is cumulative, so the more you accrue, the greater your cancer risk.”
MYTH: It Takes Years for the Effects of the Sun to Show Up
Though it’s impossible to know exactly how long it took for marks on your skin — like freckles, spots, little lines, and broken blood vessels — to develop, studies have found that they can appear within weeks of sun exposure, explains Steven Rotter, a dermatologic surgeon in Vienna, Virginia. How they form: UV rays alter pigment and weaken your skin’s collagen, the layer that gives your dermis elasticity.
The good news is, some sun damage can reverse itself. By avoiding UV exposure as much as possible — or at the very least, slathering your body in sunscreen with a minimum sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 when you go outdoors — you’ll give your skin the chance to repair some of the harm that can foreshadow skin cancer. “You can’t eliminate the odds of one day developing skin cancer because any sun exposure — even if you lay out a few times as a child — puts you at risk, but you’ll lower those odds greatly by vowing not to incur any additional sun damage,” says skin-cancer specialist Arielle Kauvar, MD, professor of dermatology at New York University School of Medicine.
To speed the healing of any unsightly creases and spots that your dermatologist has already checked out and deemed noncancerous, consider using over-the-counter or prescription retinoids — antiaging forms of vitamin A that boost collagen production. Your doctor can tell you if they’re right for you.
MYTH: Throwing on a Cover-Up Allows You to Skip Wearing Sunscreen
Hitting the beach in a light-colored long-sleeve tee is certainly better than baring your arms and torso to the sun. But the truth is, the typical thin white tee shirt — the kind you’d wear on a hot day — has an SPF of only 7. This means that UV rays will start to broil your skin through it in about 70 minutes. (It takes a fair-skinned person about 10 minutes to get burned sans protection in the midday sun; multiplying this number by the SPF number of the garment or sunscreen tells you how long it’ll take before a burn sets in.) “Most summer clothes block very few rays because the fabric is usually cotton or polyester, which isn’t woven tightly enough to keep out UV light,” says Susan Weinkle, MD, assistant clinical professor of dermatology at the University of South Florida in Tampa.
This isn’t to say that sunscreen is the only protection you need; dermatologists agree that wearing a minimum of SPF 15 sunscreen, as well as tightly woven garments, is the smartest way to stay sun safe. Also, the darker the garment’s color, the more protection you’ll get from it.
A few other sun-repelling requirements: a canvas hat (like the beach-bum kind Ashton Kutcher is always seen in, not the straw type your grandmother wears) and sunglasses that block both UVA and UVB rays.
MYTH: When You’re Not in Direct Sun, You Have Nothing to Worry About
Unfortunately, the reality is that just being outside means you have to worry about sun damage and skin cancer. “Seventy percent of all UV rays penetrate through clouds, so your damage odds are actually almost as high on an overcast day as they are on a bright day,” says Dr. Rotter.
Clouds aren’t the only things UV light easily penetrates. Sixty to 80 percent of UV radiation is transmitted through the first 12 inches of water in a pool, so staying submerged won’t keep your skin safe. “Water also reflects 100 percent of UV light, so you’re at risk from the additional rays bouncing off the pool or ocean surface and onto your body,” says Dr. Spencer.
Even taking cover in the shade is dicey. Sand and concrete reflect 25 percent of UV rays. “No matter how little direct sunlight you think you’ll be getting, if you’re going to be outside for more than a few quick minutes, be safe by putting on sunscreen,” says Dr. Rotter.
Another skin-protection slipup: not slathering on sunscreen during the winter months. UV radiation may not be as strong in January and February as it is in July, but you can still accumulate major damage during cold-weather months…especially if you hit the slopes.
“Some of the worst sunburns I have seen were on skiers; they get double the sun without realizing it because they’re at higher altitudes,” explains Deborah Sarnoff, MD, associate clinical professor of dermatology at New York University. “Also, snow reflects 85 percent of UV rays, so you get even more harmful exposure.”
And no matter what season it is or how low your altitude, you’re not necessarily out of harm’s way just because you’re indoors. “UVA rays go right through glass, whether it’s a window in your house or your car windshield, so wear sunscreen when you’re spending a lot of time next to a window or driving, just as you would when you’re outside,” says Dr. Kauvar.
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Our partners: American Cancer Society, the Skin Cancer Foundation, the American Academy of Dermatology