LOVE YOUR SKIN. Simple

LOVE YOUR SKIN

THIS SUMMER

SANG SIM, MD

SIMPLE HABITS CAN DRASTICALLY REDUCE YOUR SKIN CANCER RISK.

How can you protect your skin from the sun’s harmful rays? As warm summer weather invites you to head outdoors, Sang Sim, MD, radiation oncologist, Monmouth Medical Center, and a member of RWJBarnabas Health Medical Group, shares his best advice.

5 KEY FACTS ABOUT BRACHYTHERAPY

SLATHER ON SUNSCREEN.

Use it even on slightly cloudy or cool days, regardless of skin color. It contains chemicals that scatter sunlight’s ultraviolet (UV) rays. Apply 30 minutes before you go outside. A sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 is sufficient as long as the sunscreen is reapplied every two hours.

DRESS FOR SUCCESS.

That includes wearing a hat with a brim that shades your face, ears and the back of your neck, and loose-fitting, longsleeved, tightly woven shirts and long pants. Wear a T-shirt on the beach whenever you aren’t in the water. Look for fabrics that have an ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) to guard against UV rays.

Certain skin cancers can readily be treated with a radiation therapy known as brachytherapy. “It obliterates skin cancer cells,” says Sang Sim, MD, radiation oncologist, Monmouth Medical Center (MMC), and a member of RWJBarnabas Health Medical Group. “Success rates are very high.” Here’s what you need to know. 1. IT’S NONINVASIVE. Brachytherapy uses a computer-driven device with a special applicator to deliver a small pellet of radiation right to the skin’s surface. “A tiny opening at the tip of the applicator treats as small an area as possible directly at the site of the cancer,” Dr. Sim says. 2. THERAPY IS FAST. “Each session typically takes three to five minutes,” Dr. Sim says. Patients usually undergo therapy twice a week for three weeks—a total of six treatments.

3. IT TREATS MULTIPLE SKIN CANCERS.

Brachytherapy radiation penetrates only a few millimeters into skin, making it both CHECK IT OUT. safe and highly effective against shallow Regularly examine your skin for changes in moles skin cancers such as squamous cell and during showers and in the mirror. Ask someone basal cell carcinomas. (Melanomas, to check your back and neck, and if your which often lie deeper in skin hair is thinning, be sure to check your and are likelier to spread, are scalp as well. treated with other methods.)

4. SKIN LOOKS NATURAL.

WATCH THE KIDS. The vast majority of sun exposure occurs before age 18, so help your children take the necessary sun protection steps and let them see you doing the same. “Most brachytherapy patients have excellent cosmetic results, with normal color, consistency and appearance,” Dr. Sim says. Brachytherapy is often preferred for highly visible areas KEEP AN EYE ON YOUR EYES. like the face. Wraparound sunglasses are a great choice to 5. FEW CENTERS OFFER IT. “Patients protect eyes and skin around the eyes from UV rays. often tell me they’ve never heard of this procedure,” Dr. Sim says. “RWJBarnabas SHUN THE BRIGHTEST SUN. Health cancer centers including MMC and When you’re outside between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., reduce your Community Medical Center are among the risk of skin damage by seeking shade under an umbrella, a few in the area that offer brachytherapy.” tree or other shelter.

RWJBarnabas Health and Monmouth Medical Center, in partnership with Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey—the state’s only NCI-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center—provide close-to-home access to the most advanced treatment options. Call 844.CANCERNJ or visit www.rwjbh.org/beatcancer.

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Proud to be named one of the World’s Best Hospitals

Monmouth Medical Center (MMC), an RWJBarnabas Health facility, is among just 414 of the more than 6,000 hospitals in the United States named to Newsweek’s Global Best Hospitals list. This prestigious award is presented by Newsweek and Statista Inc., the world-leading statistics portal and industry ranking provider. The Newsweek list is meant to identify quality care and provide a guide for patients and their families. We are proud to be counted among the world's leading hospitals recognized for their continued ability to deliver the highest-quality patient care and conduct critical medical research.