Long Hours in the Sun

Keep yourself safe when you work or play outdoors

Is It Skin Cancer? - Use the ABCDE rule to regularly check new and existing moles on yourself and your family:

A=Asymmetry (half the mole doesn’t match the other half)
B=Border (edges are irregular) or Bleeding
C=Color (mole has more than one color) or Change (in shape, size)
D=Diameter (larger than a pencil eraser)
E=Enlargement

Sarah Taglioli’s former job as a lifeguard and years of playing softball required her to spend a lot of time in the sun. But the 22-year-old Allentown woman felt well-protected, since she was careful to wear sunscreen and a hat. Last August, as she was preparing to return to the University of Delaware for her senior year, she was shocked to learn she had melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.

“I thought it could never happen to me,” Taglioli says. She had surgery to remove the cancer (just below her knee) and returned to school in a wheelchair. “I was very lucky it was caught early,” she says. “If I’d needed extensive treatment, I might not have been able to graduate on time.”

Fortunately, Taglioli’s cancer had not spread, says surgical oncologist Paul Mosca, M.D., of Lehigh Valley Health Network. But the fact that she developed melanoma despite taking precautions underscores the need to be careful.

“Skin cancer is the most common cancer, and melanoma is showing up more often in younger people,” Mosca says. “We don’t know the exact cause, but it appears to be linked to sun exposure.” People who play sports or work outdoors should wear sunscreen, a hat and protective clothing no matter what time of year. “We tend to focus on sun protection in the summertime, but if you work in construction or on a road crew, you’re at risk year-long,” Mosca says.

And while a tan may seem like a benefit of working and playing outside, it can be just as dangerous as a burn. “Your risk for melanoma increases if you’ve had frequent sunburns, especially as a child,” says Mosca’s colleague, pediatrician Anthony Dimick, M.D. “But total sun exposure—whether you tan easily or not—is a skin cancer risk factor in its own right.” Here’s how to protect yourself:

Generously apply broadband (UVA and UVB) sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher, 30 minutes before going outside and again every two hours. If you don’t like your current product, shop around: today’s choices include no-drip sticks and non-greasy formulas.

Use makeup and moisturizer that contain sunscreen.

Don’t forget the back of your neck and your ears.

Keep sunscreen in your car, purse or golf bag; have a “sun bag” ready by the door.

Consult a dermatologist if you have many moles, atypical moles or large birthmarks.

Published from Healthy You Magazine, March-April 2008

This page last updated 9/22/09 02:56 PM