Don't Forget The Sunscreen

Question: My mother is a very active and healthy 72-year-old living in Florida. She enjoys retired life and is either on the golf course or out in the ocean fishing with my father. I know it sounds like an ideal situation but I am concerned about the amount of time they spend in the sun. My mother refuses to wear a hat and rarely bothers to put on any sunscreen. Because she has a dark tan she doesn't think she is at any risk of skin cancer. What can I say to convince her she should be more careful?

Answer:Those of us who are true sun worshippers put ourselves at risk long before there was much talk about the connection between sun exposure and skin cancer. Much of the damage to our skin was done before we were out of our teens. Thirty and forty years ago we used creams to treat painful sunburn, but we never thought about preventing it in the first place. Of course, the catch 22 is that so many of us actually feel and look better when we have spent time outdoors and have a nice tan. Unfortunately, those glorious days in the sun can cause serious illness in the future.

Prolonged sun exposure results in a breakdown of fibers in the skin that ultimately can lead to facial sagging, mottled pigmentation, an increased risk of bruising and tearing, dilation of small blood vessels, wrinkles, and pre-cancerous and cancerous skin lesions. It’s easy today to see that all the hours spent in the sun were detrimental to our health. Continued exposure continues the risk.

Your initial challenge is getting your mother to acknowledge the potential risk of prolonged exposure to ultraviolet radiation. The next step is to encourage her to wear a hat, cover up by wearing long sleeve shirts/pants, and most importantly, apply sunscreen with a SPF of 15 or greater to all exposed skin. She should try to avoid being in the direct sun when it’s at its strongest, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Encourage your mother to perform skin self-exams regularly. She should look for moles/growths that are "patriotic"—red, blue, or white. She also should look for changes in the size or texture of the moles/growths. Your father should assist your mother by checking her neck and back. During her annual physical, her doctor should be made aware of any suspicious lesions.

You have rightly expressed concern for your mother’s sunning habits. You should also pay special attention to any young children in the family and prevent them from getting too much sun. Your vigilance now will help lower their chance of disease when they are their grandmother's age.

Despite the damage the sun can cause us, we can still enjoy outdoor activities as long as we cover up and wear sunscreen!