Fun In The Sun
The following is from an upcoming review for PRC Online. Since the readers of Playdate are, unlike some blog enthusiasts, generally known to be the kind of people who actually do get outside their homes on a regular basis, and since May is Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month, I thought you might find this of interest.
Sun Protection For Life
By Mary Mills Barrow and John F. Barrow
Review by Valen Watson
Fair-skinned and freckled, I’ve never really liked being out in the sun. Back when I was a kid that made me a rarity since everyone I knew spent their entire summer vacation trying to get as dark a tan as possible. But now we live in the sunscreen era and as the mother of a toddler I am even more cautious about UV exposure and it’s not an easy job when you live in sunny Southern California.
In The Barrows’ book, Sun Protection for Life: Your Guide to a Lifetime of Healthy & Beautiful Skin, the message is still clear: stay out of the sun during peak hours whenever possible, and if you can’t, use protection. But according to recent statistics cited by the authors, the percentage of parents who put sunscreen on their kids has actually declined in recent years. And sun-protective clothing, which the authors advocate and describe in detail, is still not widely available or used.
A Change in Attitude
In the face of a nationwide epidemic* of skin cancers, this is disheartening news. And even as aware as I am, there was information in the Barrows’ book that was helpful to me, both as a parent and as an advocate. I didn’t realize, for example, that my daughter should only be outside playing or swimming before 10:00 a.m. and after 4:00 p.m. I knew there was a timeframe but I thought it was much narrower (the few hours around noon). And after reading Sun Protection For Life, I looked around the Palm Springs hotel where we were staying and saw that no shade was provided for the child-friendly pools our kids spent their days frolicking in. I'm going to write a letter to them recommending the installation of shade sails, stretched fabric that is used extensively in Australia and in many theme parks here to protect visitor line-ups. These fabrics let in soft light but block most of the UV rays. A few statistics from this book will help convince the hotel that it makes as much sense their other safety features, and would make a good marketing tool as well!
But sun shades everywhere? No likely. It seems a bit extreme to forgo the benefits we all got from the hours of outdoor play we had when we were kids, but we need to heed the lessons learned by Australia, a sun-soaked country that has had to combat an alarming increase in melanoma and other skin cancers with a comprehensive public education program to change attitudes about the dangers of prolonged exposure to the sun. There, peak hours mean avoiding exposure, applying (and reapplying) sunscreen, wearing protective clothing, and generally adjusting lifestyles to minimize UVR exposure. Wearing hats is mandatory in school playgrounds, and sunglasses, which are often banned in U.S. schools (as well as hats) are recommended for those as young as six months old.
Skin Cancers Reaching Epidemic Proportions
The SEER data on skin cancers from The National Cancer Institute included by the authors in their statistics chapter underscores this warning: the incidence of skin cancers has reached epidemic proportions. Only a recent rise in awareness and early screening has taken the edge of the mortality rate from the more serious melanoma. But this is not enough to stem the tide (projected at a million new cases of basal cell carcinoma this year) - we need to accept both a change in lifestyle and attitude toward outdoor living, instilling in our children a healthy respect for both the life-giving and damaging power of the sun, advocating awareness with schools and other institutions providing services to the public, and then…enjoying life.
Be AWARE
The message from the Barrows summed up in their acronym: AWARE
A: Avoid unprotected exposure any time and especially during peak UVR hours
W: Wear a long-sleeve shirt, hat, sunglasses, seek shade whenever possible
A: Apply sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher and reapply it every two hours as long as you are outdoors.
R: Routinely check your skin for changes
E: Express the need for sun protection to your employer and co-workers
The book also has helpful information on sun-protective clothing and sunscreens, how to create outdoor shade areas around your home, and how to keep a body map of your moles to help in a yearly screening exam with your doctor.
Of course, anyone who finds a mole or a raised spot (colorless or pigmented) on any part of their body that looks suspicious or has changed in any way, have it checked out by your dermatologist.
Sun Protection For Life is available at your local bookstore and online at Amazon.com.
Sun Protection For Life
By Mary Mills Barrow and John F. Barrow
Review by Valen Watson
Fair-skinned and freckled, I’ve never really liked being out in the sun. Back when I was a kid that made me a rarity since everyone I knew spent their entire summer vacation trying to get as dark a tan as possible. But now we live in the sunscreen era and as the mother of a toddler I am even more cautious about UV exposure and it’s not an easy job when you live in sunny Southern California.
In The Barrows’ book, Sun Protection for Life: Your Guide to a Lifetime of Healthy & Beautiful Skin, the message is still clear: stay out of the sun during peak hours whenever possible, and if you can’t, use protection. But according to recent statistics cited by the authors, the percentage of parents who put sunscreen on their kids has actually declined in recent years. And sun-protective clothing, which the authors advocate and describe in detail, is still not widely available or used.
A Change in Attitude
In the face of a nationwide epidemic* of skin cancers, this is disheartening news. And even as aware as I am, there was information in the Barrows’ book that was helpful to me, both as a parent and as an advocate. I didn’t realize, for example, that my daughter should only be outside playing or swimming before 10:00 a.m. and after 4:00 p.m. I knew there was a timeframe but I thought it was much narrower (the few hours around noon). And after reading Sun Protection For Life, I looked around the Palm Springs hotel where we were staying and saw that no shade was provided for the child-friendly pools our kids spent their days frolicking in. I'm going to write a letter to them recommending the installation of shade sails, stretched fabric that is used extensively in Australia and in many theme parks here to protect visitor line-ups. These fabrics let in soft light but block most of the UV rays. A few statistics from this book will help convince the hotel that it makes as much sense their other safety features, and would make a good marketing tool as well!
But sun shades everywhere? No likely. It seems a bit extreme to forgo the benefits we all got from the hours of outdoor play we had when we were kids, but we need to heed the lessons learned by Australia, a sun-soaked country that has had to combat an alarming increase in melanoma and other skin cancers with a comprehensive public education program to change attitudes about the dangers of prolonged exposure to the sun. There, peak hours mean avoiding exposure, applying (and reapplying) sunscreen, wearing protective clothing, and generally adjusting lifestyles to minimize UVR exposure. Wearing hats is mandatory in school playgrounds, and sunglasses, which are often banned in U.S. schools (as well as hats) are recommended for those as young as six months old.
Skin Cancers Reaching Epidemic Proportions
The SEER data on skin cancers from The National Cancer Institute included by the authors in their statistics chapter underscores this warning: the incidence of skin cancers has reached epidemic proportions. Only a recent rise in awareness and early screening has taken the edge of the mortality rate from the more serious melanoma. But this is not enough to stem the tide (projected at a million new cases of basal cell carcinoma this year) - we need to accept both a change in lifestyle and attitude toward outdoor living, instilling in our children a healthy respect for both the life-giving and damaging power of the sun, advocating awareness with schools and other institutions providing services to the public, and then…enjoying life.
Be AWARE
The message from the Barrows summed up in their acronym: AWARE
A: Avoid unprotected exposure any time and especially during peak UVR hours
W: Wear a long-sleeve shirt, hat, sunglasses, seek shade whenever possible
A: Apply sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher and reapply it every two hours as long as you are outdoors.
R: Routinely check your skin for changes
E: Express the need for sun protection to your employer and co-workers
The book also has helpful information on sun-protective clothing and sunscreens, how to create outdoor shade areas around your home, and how to keep a body map of your moles to help in a yearly screening exam with your doctor.
Of course, anyone who finds a mole or a raised spot (colorless or pigmented) on any part of their body that looks suspicious or has changed in any way, have it checked out by your dermatologist.
Sun Protection For Life is available at your local bookstore and online at Amazon.com.
posted by vallie at 11:26 AM
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