Do you Remember those joyfully sinful, sun-soaked March breaks and the luxurious summers by the lake? Well, our permanently damaged, lined, elephant-like leathery skin, that’s spotted and blotchy not only remembers but may be hiding free radical damage. We all have sunscreens in our medicine cabinets, at home and cottage. Yet skin cancer rates continue to rise, this year alone for 70,000 tanned Canadians and some with fatal consequences.
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The skin of a child who was “brown as a berry” from unprotected outdoor play and the teen who spent sunny summers seeking the perfect tan will age faster than that of a youngster raised in a cloudy climate or, who practiced proper sun protection. Cancer, uncommon among children is on the rise. “More and more teens and young adults are being diagnosed”, the Skin Cancer Foundation reports.
Fair-skinned, red or blonde-haired, green, blue-eyed and freckles are most at risk. Heredity also plays a role; one of every ten people with melanoma (the most serious form of skin cancer) has a family history of the disease.
Even people who grew up slathering on the sunscreen find they’re at risk, developing the moles and spots that signal a cancer warning. Dr. Lynn From, a dermatologist at Toronto’s Sunnybrook & Women’s College Hospital warns, “People and products are not perfect. We don’t put on enough sunscreen, and don’t replace it after exercising or swimming and we tend to skip susceptible spots.”
The face, of course, is the highest risk. Other hot spots are: the back for men. For women: the back, the neck, the back of the calves and hands. Children and teens are at highest risk simply because they spend more time outdoors.
If you believe:
• Tanning gradually builds skin’s natural protection. Repeat after us, “There is no such thing as a ‘safe’ tan.” A tan is a bruise. Darkening is the skin’s way of preventing more injury. Even a gradual tan is dangerous.
• My dark skin doesn’t need as much protection. While darker skin types are less likely to develop skin cancers, people with dark and olive skin are susceptible to sun damage, and do get skin cancer.
• Salon tans are safe. “A UV ray is a UV ray is a UV ray” - the sun or a light bulb, it doesn’t make a difference. The Skin Cancer Foundation’s research shows that tanning booths may actually be more harmful.
• My moisturizer/foundation/lipstick has SPF 15. I’m covered. Dr. From cautions that multi-purpose cosmetic / SPF products provide false comfort. We can’t use enough of them to be protected. You need to use a good sunscreen too.
• Sunscreens give me acne or a rash. Try a natural alternative. Ian Sands, a holistic pharmacist at Finlandia Pharmacy in Vancouver, suggests products made with soothing shea butter, jojoba or almond oil are natural moisturizers with fewer irritants. Use natural sun blocks with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide that physically stop the UVA and UVB rays. |
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If I could turn back time:
There are cosmetic things you can do to make the skin’s surface look better, but the damaged cells can’t be repaired,” advises Dr. From. “Skin deep is actually pretty deep – four to five layers of epidermal skin, with 2 layers of dermis underneath.” Dermabrasion, skin peels, topical acids and the new light treatments may even out skin tone but cannot cure injured or cancerous cells.
So, does this mean that skin cancer surfaces that have been “cured” – taken care of, can resurface again? Absolutely! There can be numerous pre-cancerous cells that may not become cancerous at the same time.
Although Sands suggests that some products with antioxidants may improve the look of sun-ravaged skin, giving it a boost against the cancer-causing free radical molecules doesn’t mean that the skin will be repaired. The Cancer Research Foundation suggests that the antioxidant vitamins A and C help fight off free radical damage. Supplements with vitamins A, C and enzymes may also replenish and repair skin cells from within. Creams formulated with vitamin C may help repair connective tissues and collagen. Calgary-based natural medicines educator Tracy Marsden says there’s a lot of “buzz” around products containing alpha lipoic acids (ALAs) the strongest antioxidant element, which, when used externally or taken internally, seem to speed up skin repair and are believed to both prevent and repair sun damage.
The bottom line?
It won’t hurt to try products that claim to repair sun-aged skin.
Dr. From suggests:
• Canadian adults and children should apply sunscreen each morning from May to September religiously.
• Apply effective sunscreen, a 30 - 45 SPF over entire body if you’re outdoors all day. And for the face - 15 SPF under makeup containing 15 SPF.
• Avoid direct sunlight at the dangerous peak hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Reapply after swimming, sweating, exercise or washing your hands, even if the instructions say it isn’t necessary.
• Cover up with a hat, long-sleeved shirt and proper sunglasses. The only way to get a safe “tan” is to use a self-tanning product while continuing to use sun protection outdoors.Yes, it’s that simple, and yes, hard to do. And remember like the elephant, your skin never forgets. H&L |
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