06/11/2010

PEAK PERFORMANCE

Anyone spending some time outdoors at high altitudes should afford his or her exposed skin some extra protection from the sun’s potentially damaging rays. For every thousand feet of elevation, the sun rays are 8%-10% stronger. With this in mind, researchers monitoring the skin condition of golfers playing at 8,200 feet above sea level found that they got significantly more sunburn protection from a sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 70+ than one with an SPF of 15. Golfers who started their rounds with an SPF 70+ sunscreen on their faces and reapplied it 2.5 hours later reported no sunburns after 4.5 hours of golf. This finding argues for the FDA to raise the SPF limit to 70.

June is Cancer from the Sun Month. If you enjoy golfing or another sport that takes place at high altitudes, be sure to apply an SPF 70+ sunscreen. On a routine basis, inspect your skin for danger signs in pigmented lesions of the skin. Prompt surgical excision of an early melanoma is important to stopping its spread. Please call ELMHURST DERMATOLOGY at 630-832-2111 to schedule a skin evaluation. We use the latest technological advances to detect skin cancer in its early stages and perform precision surgery to remove multiple horizontal layers of cancer. Our practice is located at 103 N. Haven, Suite 7, Elmhurst.

P.S. People typically do not use sunscreen in the proper amount, applying anywhere from only 20% to 50% of the recommended amount.