Sun Safety and Skin Protection [Video] | hioscar Blog | Oscar
Sun Safety and Skin Protection [Video]
In this "From the Frontlines" video, Dr. Stephanie Reznick shares a few tips on staying safe in the sun.
Virtual CareClinically Speaking
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July is UV Safety Month, a time to reflect on how to protect you and your family from harmful UV rays. In this "From the Frontlines" video (opens in new tab), Dr. Stephanie Reznick shares a few tips on staying safe in the sun.
“Hi everyone, I'm Dr. Stephanie Camaglia Reznick. I'm a board-certified internist and one of the medical directors for virtual care here at Oscar. In today's video, I'm going to be discussing sun safety. These tips are important for everyone but are particularly important if you're at higher risk for getting skin cancer.
Risk factors can include having fairer skin, a family or personal history of skin cancer, including squamous cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma, or melanoma, and those who have had sunburns in the past particularly if they were bad enough to cause blistering.
My first tip is to try to stay in the shade and avoid direct sunlight during the peak hours of 10 am to 4 pm. Whenever possible, try to cover your skin on your arms and legs with long sleeves and pants. Tighter knit fabrics and darker colored clothing tend to be more protective but any clothing that gets wet loses its ability to protect your skin from the UV rays. For this reason as well as the fact that it's not always practical to wear long sleeves and pants in the summer, I recommend that you look to other forms of sun protection as well.
A sun hat with a wide brim that goes all the way around is a great idea. It can help to protect the skin on your nose, cheeks, ears and back of your neck which tend to be easily burned.
Don't forget sunglasses. It's important to protect your eyes as well as the delicate skin around your eyes. Sunglasses should be broad spectrum meaning they protect against UVA and UVB rays. Luckily, sunglasses sold in the United States are generally broad spectrum so you don't have to worry about spending a lot of money to get a good pair of sunglasses to protect your eyes and skin.
Then of course there's sunscreen. I recommend using an SPF of at least 15 to 30. Keep in mind that there's not much benefit to using an SPF above 50. Your sunscreen should be broad spectrum like your sunglasses meaning it protects against UVA and UVB rays. Don't forget to check the expiration as expired sunscreen won't be quite as protective as the sunscreen that's not expired.
In general, there are two types of sunscreen - physical and chemical. Physical sunscreens literally block the rays from getting to your skin. Active ingredients include zinc oxide and titanium oxide.
The other type of sunscreen are chemical sunscreens and these sunscreens react with the UV rays so the UV never reaches your skin. Some studies have shown that these chemicals can be absorbed by your skin and get into your bloodstream, however, no studies have shown that this can cause harm. That said the American Academy of Pediatrics does suggest that you consider avoiding sunscreen with the active ingredient oxybenzone in children as there is a theoretical hormonal effect of that particular chemical being absorbed by the body.
Make sure to put on your sunscreen 15 minutes before you go out and reapply every two hours in addition to any time that you get wet or towel off even if the sunscreen says that it is waterproof or water resistant.
For those with young children, in addition to the American Academy of Pediatrics tip on oxybenzone, it is recommended to try to avoid sunscreen in children less than six months old. Staying in the shade and other forms of sun avoidance is your best bet in that young age. That said if you wanted to use a little bit of desitin, zinc oxide or another sunscreen on high risk burn areas such as the nose, ears, or cheeks, that should be fine.
I hope you found this information helpful. Have a fun and safe summer!”
Video published 2020-07-17
This content does not constitute medical advice and is not meant to be a substitute for professional medical advice, including diagnosis or treatment. Contact your physician with any questions you may have regarding COVID-19 or your personal health. If you are experiencing a medical emergency, dial 911 for immediate assistance.
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