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SAFETY TIP: SUN SAFETY
Practice ‘Safe Sun’: Protection and Early Detection of Skin Cancer are Key
As a trail rider, you can prepare for every challenge and hazard, but sometimes, it’s the one you don’t think about that may be doing the most harm.
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Like many outdoor activities, riding brings you, your family, and friends who enjoy the sport with you, face-to-face with the sun. And exposure to the sun is a leading cause of skin cancer.
Skin cancers are by far the most common of all cancers, and while melanoma, the deadliest form, accounts for only about 1% of all skin cancers – it results in a majority of all skin cancer deaths.
Did you know?
Over 25 percent of lifetime sun damage occurs in childhood. Men over the age of 40 spend the most time outdoors and get the most annual UV ray exposure. Harmful UVA and UVB rays are more intense in the summer. Florida receives 150 percent more UV light than Maine. Overexposure in one day can lead to sunburns. It takes only one sunburn over the course of your lifetime to double your risk of skin cancer.
Are you the one?
One in five people in the U.S. will get skin cancer, and more than 3 million Americans are diagnosed with it each year. And that’s good news, because the earlier skin cancer is detected, the more treatable it is. In fact, if detected early, the survival rate for melanoma is around 99 percent, but quickly drops to just 15 percent when discovered at a more advanced stage.
Risk factors for skin cancer include a cumulative history of sun exposure (often starting in childhood), blistering sunburns at any age, spending time outdoors for work or play, tanning in tanning beds, or having light-colored hair and fair skin. People over 50 are also at a higher risk, and men are more likely than women to get the disease.
And even racing gear and a full-face helmet don’t protect you. Covering up on and off your bike and wearing the right sun protection (from SPF 30 or greater sunscreen to UV protective sunglasses) are a good start.
So, what else can you do to practice safe sun?
Give sunscreen at least 20 minutes to start protecting you. If you wait until you’re in the sun to put it on, you may not get the full benefit for awhile.
Reapply it at least every two hours and more often if you sweat or go into the water.
Wear protective clothing and a broad-brimmed hat when you’re not suited up.
Avoid the mid-day sun whenever possible. If you can’t, the UV index can let you know the best time to schedule a ride.
Park in the shade on your stops.
Make annual Total-Body Skin Cancer Exams part of your routine health and wellness screenings. Very simply, they save lives.
Be watchful. Melanoma can develop anywhere on the body – scalp, nails, feet, mouth, even the eyes. If you have a mole or bump that starts to bleed, itch, grow or change, check it out right away. Not all skin cancers are melanomas, but all should be properly evaluated and treated.
It doesn’t take much to protect yourself and those you love from the sun. Start being sun smart today.
Information provided by Heather Lyons of Advanced Dermatology
