Remember Winter Sun Protection for Skin Cancer Prevention
January 13, 2011
By Real Age
The days are short, the sun is weak, and you’re up to your chinny-chin-chin in coat, hat, muffler, and gloves. Give yourself a new iPod if you’re also cocooned in an invisible layer of sunscreen. Year-round use cuts your risk of melanoma — the deadliest skin cancer — in half.
This hot news comes from sun-baked Australia, where melanoma risk is two to three times higher than in the United States and Canada. Still, even though we’re further from the equator and it’s winter, stick with a quick daily ritual: Apply a moisturizer with an SPF-30 sunscreen to your face and neck (arms and legs, too, if your zip code is in the Sunbelt) and to the backs of your hands. True, the UV Index, which gauges the risk of skin damage from cancer-triggering ultraviolet rays, is low across most of North America in winter. But exposed skin’s still vulnerable, especially if you burn easily, spend more than a few minutes outdoors, work close to a sunny window, or have a long commute (sun rays pass through car/train windows). Find out how much sunscreen is enough.
You read that right. At least half of the sun’s UVA rays (the ones that do deep-down cellular harm) penetrate glass. More skin cancers, wrinkles, age spots, and sagginess are found on the sides of faces closest to car and office windows.
About to head outside to shovel snow, twirl (or wobble) at the skating pond, or take a brisk winter walk? Rub on the best and safest sunscreen in our book: SPF-30 formulas containing nanoparticulated zinc oxide. It works instantly. Learn more about sunscreen products.
Reprinted with permission by RealAge, Inc. Copyright (c) 2010. All rights reserved. For an accurate calculation of your RealAge, visit www.RealAge.com. RealAge, Inc, San Diego, CA USA. All rights reserved. RealAge is a U.S. federally registered trademark of RealAge, Inc. Republication or redistribution of RealAge content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of RealAge. RealAge shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.
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