Skin cancer is a real killer. It’s a rare sailor over 40 who hasn’t had spots removed or knows someone who has. The farther south you sail, the greater the risk. We want to be outside, and it is well proven that an active lifestyle has wide reaching health benefits, but we need to dodge a few hazards. What can we do?
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Drew, prove for yourself and your readers that SPF values do matter. Put 100 on one arm and that magic number 30 on the other.
The whole discussion will change and you can teach your dermatologist something as well.
In the paragraph headed Clothing, you say “and UPF 10 means that 90 percent of the UVB is blocked.” Then you go on, throughout the article, saying that higher UPF numbers are better than lower ones. Which way is it?
Both are true, but I can see how the definition is strange. UPF comes from sunscreen SPF. An SPF of 10 means you can be in the sun 10 times longer without burning, which for metabolic reasons is not exactly the same thing as blocking 90% of the UV, but similar in concept. UPF 10 blocks 90% of the sun. But is five times more effective, blocking 98% of the UV. Five times less UV gets through.
The important thing is to coverup, since even relatively low UPF values represent a great improvement over bare skin.
I guess my question is: from your UPF 10 – which one is better protection: UPF 20, or UPF 5?
We find that shirt sleeves with thumb holes and gloves together are not a problem. Contrastingly, regular sleeves and gloves always seem to either have a gap in protection, or tends to bunch up.
There is something to be said for the optical correctness of well-made sunglasses. This becomes even more difficult as lenses curve around the face for more protection. Bending distortions in one’s vision can add to fatigue overtime.
A pretty good article, but as a dermatologist, you make a good sailor. Way more fatal melanomas start on the back than the scalp and if the damn thing is going to get to your brain (as the bad ones often do!) it’s not by way of blood vessels, not from burrowing thru your skull!. What is true is that scalps, once exposed to UV (yes, I’m concerned with WE baldies) is VERY prone to developing squamous cell carcinomas, the second most common source of skin cancer fatality. HATS ARE ESSENTIAL if you can tan or burn on your scalp. Also, there is an excellent sunscreen for foreheads: Neutrogena 70 STICK. It does NOT get in your eyes and is good all day (a complicated subject. Best Buy in a sunscreen when properly used, Trader Joe’s spray (50) at $6
David Whitney, FAAD
I should proofread; melanomas get to your brain by way of blood vessels…
Tks a lot for so many well written and structured articles.
They are very informative and useful to me.
One detail got me quite worried 🙂
“earth wobbles about 23 degrees from summer to winter”
Really ? I’m sure that’s not what you meant. The earth we know would quickly be destroyed.
It is true that the earth has a precession cycle of about 26,000 years
Earth is tilted about 23.5 degrees on the plane of ecliptic.
This accounts for a total half-year apparent tilt of 47 deg. which explains the yearly vacation the sun takes to the southern hemisphere…
So the missing word was “apparent” wobble…
Sorry for being facetious !
Kind Regards
Alain (Eng. physics)
A comment from Vancouver Island. Our local dermatologist frequently rants and raves (he’s that sort of guy) that he often has to cut the tops off guys’ ears because they insist on only wearing baseball hats in the summer.
Kind Regards
Ken