Summer sun safety

The days are getting longer, and that means more time in the sunshine – on the beach, on the trail, camping, hiking, and getting into all sorts of shenanigans.

But before you shimmy into that tank top and shorts, take some outdoor advice from Dr. Thomas Matzke, a dermatologist for MeritCare’s Fargo Dermatology and Laser Clinic.

Most people know by now to slather on some SPF before heading outdoors, but Matzke said too many people rely too much on that little bit of sunscreen, thinking it will last them all day. It won’t.

Putting sunscreen on often, every two hours or so, is sometimes more important than the number on the bottle, Matzke said.

However, even more important when looking for a solid sunscreen, he said, are the ingredients in the formula.

The most reliable ones, he said, are metals like zinc and titanium.

“Some people don’t want to do those because they’re the equivalent of what the old lifeguards wore, with the white nose,” he said, “but most of the new ones go on almost clear, and they block sunrays for longer, and better.”

Other sunscreens without those ingredients, he said, work using a chemical reaction to block the UVA and UVB rays, but it’s not always reliable – zinc and titanium are the best bets.

As far as those new “super sunscreens” on the market with 90 and 100+ SPF’s, Matzke isn’t convinced that they’re necessary.

“I’ve seen a 65 [SPF] total block with zinc, and that is a block of the sun,” he said.

And although there are organizations out there that claim that skin absorbs the chemicals though the skin and can be harmful, Matzke said he hasn’t read any studies to prove it.

Sometimes a good alternative for keeping the sun at bay, he said, is to simply throw on extra clothes, a hat, or sit in the shade.

“Especially if you’ve been outside for a while, and are starting to feel the heat of the sun, putting on a light long sleeve rather than adding more sunscreen can be better,” he said.

If you do end up with a tomato-red burn, Matzke said there’s not much you can do to help it heal, other than making yourself comfortable with lotion and aloe vera – and popping an aspirin if you’re “really in pain.”

“It helps cut down the inflammation, but other than that, there’s not much you can do,” he said.

That said, his biggest recommendation for a sunburn remedy: “Avoid it!”

For other outdoor remedies like cuts and scrapes from all that adventuring, Matzke had the same philosophy: let it heal on it’s own.

“If it’s gonna scar, it’s gonna scar,” he said.

There’s not much to be done unless it seems infected, and then go see a doctor, he said. Signs of infection?

“If it’s getting worse instead of better, that’s a sign, if there is puss involved, and of course if you have a fever or chills,” he said.

But if you’re trying to avoid a scar, spending money on special creams may be a waste of money.

“All these scar creams, I think, are bogus,” Matzke said. “Scars improve on their own … eventually they usually almost disappear [by themselves].”

They can’t hurt, he said, but “I haven’t seen a good study to prove that they actually do a better job.”

But, at the end of the day, all the advice isn’t just to keep you burn- and scar-free – it’s to ward off dangerous melanomas, skin spots that become cancerous.

People need to check themselves from head-to-toe (literally: Matzke said he’s seen melanoma on soles of feet as well as scalps) for suspicious spots often, Matzke said, especially this time of year.

“Look for things that are new or changing, that look different from the others,” he said. “Changing is the biggest thing – if it looks different, that should make you suspicious.”

Body spot checks can be performed by appointment at the MeritCare clinic, he said, but you don’t have to see a dermatologist; a general practitioner will know what to look for, too.

“Melanoma is one of those things, that if you catch it early, it’s completely treatable – it’s one of the few cancers that you can prevent,” he said. “You can look and see, whereas with other cancers, like colon cancer, you can’t see what’s going on. This is cancer that can be deadly, but you can catch it.”

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