麻豆传媒

麻豆传媒 — With temperatures expected to climb on the first unofficial weekend of the summer, a Rowan Medicine physician says it鈥檚 time to remember that it only takes a couple minutes to protect yourself from a disfiguring and deadly disease. 鈥淓verybody 鈥� and I mean every body 鈥� needs sunscreen,鈥� said Dr. Jennifer Caudle a Rowan University Family Medicine physician. 鈥淵our ethnicity doesn鈥檛 matter; how easily you tan doesn鈥檛 matter. If you go out in the sun without sunscreen you are putting yourself at risk for melanoma, one of the deadliest forms of cancer.鈥� Dr. Caudle reminds her patients that there is no such thing as a 鈥渉ealthy tan,鈥� and while melanoma rates tend to be highest among older men, there has been an alarming increase in recent years among young adults, particularly among young women. The National Cancer Institute estimates that more than 76,000 new cases of melanoma will be diagnosed in the United States this year. 鈥淭here are two possible factors involved here,鈥� Dr. Caudle explains. 鈥淪kin cancer can take years to appear, and decades ago sunscreens simply weren鈥檛 available. In the case of some, there鈥檚 a strong suspicion that the use of tanning beds to get a 鈥榖ase tan鈥� before beach or prom season has exposed many teens to unsafe levels of ultraviolet light.鈥� While the first attempts to create a sunscreen date to the 1930s, it wasn鈥檛 until forty years later that the first Sun Protection Factor (SPF) system was developed. In 2012, the Food and Drug Administration issued new regulations that clarified labeling requirements to help consumers choose products with the right sun protection factor for themselves and their families. SPF measures how much of the sun's ultraviolet (UV) radiation is needed to cause sunburn on protected skin compared to the amount of UV radiation required to produce sunburn on unprotected skin. As the SPF increases, the protection against sunburn increases. This is a popular misconception because SPF does not indicate time that can be spent in the sun without getting sunburn. Rather, SPF measures the amount of protection that sunscreens provide against sunburn. A broad spectrum sunscreen protects against both types of harmful sun rays 鈥� ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB). Both types of rays contribute to skin cancer and can cause damage to the skin. 鈥淎nd a lot of factors can affect sunscreen performance,鈥� Dr. Caudle warned. 鈥淪wimming and sweating can wash off some sunscreens and most people don鈥檛 use enough or reapply sunscreen often enough.鈥� How much sunscreen should you use? 鈥淥n average about one ounce,鈥� Dr. Caudle advises. 鈥淭hat may not seem like a lot, but it鈥檚 enough to cover your palm or fill a shot glass. And, even though the labels may make you think otherwise, reapply sunscreen every two hours for maximum protection because the sun鈥檚 rays vary in intensity throughout the day.鈥�

Dr. Jennifer Caudle is an assistant professor of Family Medicine at the Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine and a frequent on-air health correspondent for national and local media outlets. Follow Dr. Caudle on Facebook (www.facnewsebook.com/drjennifercaudle ), Twitter/Instagram (@DrJenCaudle) and other social media outlets.

About Rowan UniversityRowan University offers bachelor鈥檚 through doctoral programs to 16,100 students through its campuses in Glassboro, Camden and Stratford, New Jersey. In the past four years, Rowan created a School of Biomedical Sciences & Health Professions; opened the Camden-based Cooper Medical School of Rowan University; and incorporated the School of Osteopathic Medicine and the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, making Rowan only the second university in the nation to grant both M.D. and D.O. medical degrees. Rowan is collaborating with Rutgers-Camden to create degree programs to meet the growing need for medical services in the City of Camden. One of only three state-designated public research institutions in New Jersey, Rowan comprises the University's William G. Rohrer College of Business, the Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering and colleges of Communication & Creative Arts, Education, Humanities & Social Sciences, Performing Arts, and Science & Mathematics and the Division of Global Learning & Partnerships, as well as the medical schools.