HEALTH: Skin cancer awareness

• Ann Grossbauer

Ann Grossbauer, a Sanford Health registered nurse in East Grand Forks.

Talk about it

May is Skin Cancer Awareness month.

The most common type of cancer, skin cancer accounts for about half of all cancers in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society. More than 2 million cases of non-melanoma skin cancer and 68,130 cases of melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer were found in 2010, the American Cancer Society said.

Herald reporter Ann Bailey talked with Ann Grossbauer, a Sanford Health registered nurse in East Grand Forks, about keeping your skin safe in the summer sun.

Here is an edited form of their conversation:

Q. What is the No. 1 thing people should know about skin safety?

A. It’s repeated sunburn that can cause can cancer, so start using sun screen on babies, anyone over six months. (Before that, infants should not be in the direct sun.) The burns accumulate so if you’ve had severe sunburns as a child, you increase that risk.

Most childcares are really good and using sunscreen and reapplying.

Q. Is it safe to use last year’s sunscreen?

A. No. Get rid of it and buy new. They have not done any studies that show they keep their potency.

Q. How often should sunscreen be re-applied?

A: Once in the morning isn’t adequate for all day. Instead once in the morning and when they come in at lunch time. If (children) get sweaty, sunscreen should be re-applied.

Adults should re-apply, too, especially if they’re working outside and sweating. The more they sweat, the more often they should re-apply.

Q. How often should sunscreen be re-applied when swimming?

A. Read the label on the sunscreen because they are all different. You should be sure the sunscreens block UVA and UVB rays.

Q. Is there a correlation between the temperature and sunburn?

A: Even on a cool day you can get sunburned. Even with the clouds you can get sunburned. We’ve had people come in already that have been sunburned.

Q. Are people today heeding advice about avoiding sun exposure and using sunscreen?

A. You see it more with parents of smaller children. It’s more mainstream now. Childcares are requiring sunscreen.

It’s just as important for adults. It causes our fine lines and our wrinkles and our freckles and age spots. That nice, healthy tan turns into leather later in life.

Q. In educating people about the dangers of sun exposure, how do you “get past” the conventional thinking that having a tan is a healthy look

A. That bronze glow is not good for us. Tanning beds are even worse than the sun. Big hats need to come back into fashion.

Q. What areas of the body do people typically forget to apply with sunscreen?

A. The backs of hands, foreheads, backs of heads, shoulders, their backs.

Q. What can be done if you do get burned?

A. If you get a headache, it blisters or you get a fever, go somewhere cool and then see a physician.

Tags: life, health, cancer, skin, updates