Sunshine Safety

>> FINDING THE RIGHT SUNSCREEN IS IMPORTANT BOTH FOR PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT AND FOR PROTECTING YOU FROM SKIN CANCER. FLORIDA RANKS SECOND IN THE NATION FOR MELANOMA. AND ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE, NEARLY 1000 FLORIDIANS ARE DIAGNOSED WITH MELANOMA AND SKIN CANCER EVERY YEAR. WGA SHOES, JENNIFFER CRAWFORD LEARNS MORE ABOUT WHAT YOU CAN DO TO LIMIT YOURSELF AGAINST OVER EXPOSURE FROM THE SUN. >> AS WE ENTER MELANOMA AWARENESS MONTH, WE ARE JOINED BY DR MARK HURLBERT. HE IS THE CEO OF THE MELANOMA RESEARCH ALLIANCE AND JOINS US NOW FROM LOS ANGELES. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TODAY. DOCTOR. >> THANK YOU SO FOR FOR HAVING US ON AND HELPING US RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT MELANOMA AND SKIN CANCER. >> CAN YOU FIRST EXPLAIN EXACTLY WHAT IS MELANOMA? >> MELANOMA IS THE MOST DEADLY TYPE OF SKIN CANCER. MOST PEOPLE THINK OF IT AS A BROWN, A MOLE OR SPOT ON YOUR SKIN. BUT NOT ALL KNOW NUMBERS AROUND. SOMETIMES IT CAN START IS LIKE A RED. WE'RE A SPOTTER PIMPLE LOOKING LIKE THING ON YOUR SKIN. THE MELANOMAS QUITE QUITE COMMON. THIS 230,000 AMERICANS WILL HEAR THE WORDS YOU HAVE MELANOMA, ESPECIALLY A LOT IN FLORIDA. SUNNY FLORIDA AND WE TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE RISK FACTORS, WHICH INCLUDES A PRIMARILY SOME EXPOSURE. BUT A FEW OTHERS AS WELL. >> WHAT ARE THE RISK FACTORS AND THEN AND THEN THE SYMPTOMS IF SOMEONE WOULD ACTUALLY THINK THEY MIGHT HAVE IT? >> YEAH. MELANOMA. 95% OF MELANOMAS ARE CAUSED BY UV SUN RADIATION. SO SUN EXPOSURE IS THE MAIN RISK FACTORS. SO BAD SUNBURNS AND EVERY SUNBURN YOU HAVE THROUGHOUT YOUR LIFETIME IS CUMULATIVE INCREASING YOUR RISK FOR MELANOMA? WHAT PEOPLE SHOULD LOOK OUT FOR IS ANY SPOTS ON YOUR SKIN THAT ARE CHANGING. SO WE LIKE TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO KNOW YOUR BODY'S, KNOW YOUR SKIN AND KNOW WHAT FRECKLES AND MOLES AND SPOTS YOU HAVE. AND WHAT'S CRITICAL IS TO KNOW THEIR EVOLVING OR CHANGING OVER TIME OR OF ANY NEW MOLES OR NEW SPOTS. RIGHT? AND THEN IF SOMETHING CHANGES OR SOMETHING NEW SHOWS UP, HAVE THAT LOOKED AT MY YOUR DOCTOR. >> AND WHAT ARE THE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR WEARING SUNSCREEN? WE HEAR SO MANY DIFFERENT THINGS, WHETHER IT SHOULD BE SPF 15 OR 50 OR 70. WHAT ARE THE RECOMMENDATIONS? >> AT THE MONA RESEARCH ALLIANCE AND OUR DERMATOLOGY ADVISORY BOARD, WE RECOMMEND THAT YOU USE SPF 30 OR HIGHER EVERY DAY. SO 30 OR HIGHER. I'M VERY FAIR SKIN. AND SO I PERSONALLY USE SPF 50 EVERY DAY ON MY MY FACE AND EXPOSED SKIN TO FIND OUT DOORS AND WHAT CRITICAL ISSUES, WHAT WE CALL A BROAD SPECTRUM SUNSCREEN THAT PROTECTS AGAINST BOTH UVA RADIATION AS WELL AS UVB RADIATION. AND AGAIN AS P OF 30 OR HIGHER. AND ANOTHER CRITICAL THING IS YOU CAN'T JUST TO PLAY IT ONCE A DAY AND BE DONE. WE ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO MAKE IT PART OF YOUR MORNING ROUTINE. BEFORE YOU LEAVE THE HOUSE, APPLY YOUR SUNSCREEN AND THEN KEY IS TO REAPPLY THROUGHOUT THE DAY, ESPECIALLY IF YOU'RE GOING TO BE OUTDOORS DIRECTLY IN THE SUN FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME, YOU NEED TO REAPPLY EVERY 2 HOURS. AND IF YOU'RE GOING TO HIT THE BEACH OR THE POOL AND ONCE YOU GET OUT OF THE WATER AND DRY OFF, THEN YOU SHOULD REAPPLY AS SOON AS YOU DRY OFF GETTING OUT OF WATER. >> CAN YOU TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE COMMON SUNSCREEN? METS AND WIDE? THEY ARE SPREADING SO WIDELY RIGHT NOW, ESPECIALLY ON SOCIAL MEDIA. >> YEAH. SO WE AT THE NUMBER RESEARCH ICE. WE RECENTLY CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF 2000 ADULTS ALL ACROSS THE U.S. AND WHAT WE FOUND WAS 80% OF PEOPLE WERE AWARE THAT THE SUN CAN CAUSE MELANOMA CAN CAUSE SKIN CANCER. ONLY ABOUT A 3RD OF PEOPLE WERE ROUTINELY WEARING SUNSCREEN OR PRACTICING SON'S SAFE BEHAVIORS. AND SO SOME OF THE MOST COMMON MYTHS WE HEARD OUR THEY ONLY NEED TO WEAR SUNSCREEN DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS. NOT YEAR ROUND. WE ALSO HEARD MS SAID YOU DON'T NEED TO WEAR SUNSCREEN. IF YOU'RE SPECIFICALLY GOING OUT DOORS LIKE TO THE BEACH OR TO THE POOL OR ON A BOAT. BUT IF YOU'RE GOING TO BE OUTDOORS, EVEN COMMUTING TO THE OFFICE OR OUT FOR A WALK OR WORKING IN YOUR YARD, YOU NEED TO WEAR SUNSCREEN ALL THE TIME AND EVEN SITTING. AND EVEN SITTING INDOORS IN YOUR CAR OR AT AN OFFICE BUILDING RIGHT NEXT TO THE WINDOW. YOU NEED TO PRACTICE AND SAFETY. AND SO WE ENCOURAGE PEOPLE WEAR YOUR SUNSCREEN. APPLY IT EVERY MORNING AND THEN REAPPLY IT THROUGHOUT THE DAY AS NEEDED. >> THERE ARE PEOPLE I KNOW SOME PERSONALLY WHO WILL NOT WEAR SUNSCREEN BECAUSE THEY ARE SO CONCERNED ABOUT CHEMICAL INGREDIENTS IN THE SUNSCREEN AND SPRAYING IT ALL OVER THEIR SKIN. WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE TO THAT? >> YEAH. SO IN OUR SURVEY, WE ALSO FOUND OUT LIKE SOME OF YOUR FRIENDS AND YOU MENTIONED SO WE FOUND ABOUT 60% OF PEOPLE WERE AT LEAST FAMILIAR WITH SOME OF THESE CONCERNS IN SUNSCREEN INGREDIENTS. I WOULD SAY THERE ARE 2 DIFFERENT CLASSES OF SUNSCREEN. ONE IS CALLED CHEMICAL SUNSCREENS. YOU CAN LOOK ON THE BACK OF THE PACKAGE, BUT CHEMICAL SUNSCREENS AND MINERAL SUNSCREENS. SO CHEMICAL SUNSCREENS HAVE INGREDIENTS LIKE OCSO THE END ZONE AND THAT'S COMMONLY THE ONES HE SPRAY ON. BUT LOOK AT THE INGREDIENTS ON THE BACK OF THE PACKAGE MINERAL SUNSCREENS. MANY PEOPLE THAT HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT THE CHEMICAL ONES ARE MORE COMFORTABLE WITH MINERAL SUNSCREENS THOSE OR ZINC OXIDE AND TAKE DIOXIDE. THOSE YOU HEAR ABOUT YOUR SKIN, MOSTLY EMOTIONS, BUT SOME COME IN SPRAY FORMS. BUT THEIR MINERAL SUNSCREENS AND THAT THOSE INGREDIENTS IT ON THE SURFACE OF YOUR SKIN AND REFLECT THE UV RADIATION AND THEY'RE NOT ABSORB INTO THE SKIN. SO MOST PEOPLE THAT HAVE ANY KIND OF CONCERNS WITH SUNSCREEN ARE MORE COMFORTABLE WITH SUNSCREENS. BUT ALL OF THEM ARE REGULATED BY THE FDA AND ALL SUNSCREENS ARE SAFE AND EFFECTIVE. >> AND I UNDERSTAND MELANOMA. PEOPLE MIGHT THINK IT WAS JUST SOMETHING THAT THEY CAN TAKE OFF. IT'S QUICK. IT'S NO BIG DEAL, BUT ACTUALLY IS FATAL IF LEFT UNTREATED, CORRECT. >> ABSOLUTELY. SO MELANOMA. ONE OF SOME ONE OF THE MOST PREVENTABLE CANCERS. SO BY PRACTICING SOME OF THAT SINCE SAFE BEHAVIORS THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT, BUT IT ALSO IS HIGHLY TREATABLE, ESPECIALLY IF ITS FOUND EARLY THEN SURGERY WOULD BE THE FIRST LINE OF OPTION. I WILL SAY PROBABLY A DIFFERENT INTERVIEW, BUT WE MADE A LOT OF PROGRESS IN TREATING ADVANCED MELANOMA IS WE'VE HAD 19 NEW DRUGS APPROVED HERE IN THE UNITED STATES BY THE FDA SINCE 2011. SO IF YOU DO HAVE A MORE ADVANCED MELANOMA, IT IS SPREAD FROM THE SKIN TO OTHER PARTS OF YOUR BODY. THERE ARE A LOT OF TREATMENT OPTIONS AND I WOULD ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO THE HOPEFUL THAT THEY CAN HAVE POSITIVE OUTCOMES. BUT STILL WANT PEOPLE TO USE CAUTION AND PRACTICE AND SAFETY AND PREVENTED IN THE FIRST PLACE. >> AND IN ADDITION TO WEARING SUNSCREEN, WHAT ARE THE OTHER STEPS FOR LIMITING THE EXPOSURE TO THE SUN AND THE POTENTIAL OF DEVELOPING THIS CANCER. >> ABSOLUTELY. THERE'S A LOT OF GREAT MANUFACTURES NOWADAYS AND MAKE UV PROTECTIVE CLOTHING. THEY ACTUALLY WE'VE THE FABRICS IN A WAY THAT THEY PROVIDE UV PROTECTION MORE THAN A STANDARD SHIRT OR PAIR OF JEANS WOULD. AND SO I PERSONALLY HAVE A COLLECTION OF LONG SLEEVE. POLO SHIRTS THAT ARE UP. YOU VS PROTECTIVE CLOTHING. SO YOU CAN WEAR SUNSCREEN. YOU CAN WEAR FABRICS. HE CAN BUT SEEK SHADE AND SO IF YOU'RE GOING GO TO THE BEACH, GET AN UMBRELLA. LAY UNDER THE UMBRELLA, YOU KNOW, SEEK SHADE AND AVOID SORT OF DIRECTLY EXPOSING YOUR SKIN TO THE SUN. THE OTHER THING YOU CAN DO AND I LOVE TO BE OUTDOORS AND EXERCISE OUTDOORS. AND I'M ALSO A BIG HIKER. BUT THE OTHER THING YOU CAN DO IS TO AVOID THE PEAK SUN HOURS, SORT OF BETWEEN 10:00AM AND 04:00PM. AND SO GET OUTSIDE BEFORE 10 IN THE MORNING AND DO YOUR EXERCISE DO YARD WORK? WE'RE DOING AT THE END OF THE DAY, SORT OF AFTER 4 IN THE AFTERNOON INTO THE EARLY EVENING HOURS. JUST AVOID DIRECTLY EXPOSING YOUR SON TO THE PEAK SUN HOURS. YOU SKIN TO THE PEAK SUN HOURS. IF YOU CAN. >> AND IF ANYONE WAS TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS WORK AND THEY GO. ABSOLUTELY. SO. >> WE WILL LOT OF USEFUL INFORMATION ON OUR WEBSITE FOR THE MELANOMA RESEARCH ALLIANCE CARE, MELANOMA DOT ORG. >> GREAT. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY AND TELLING US ABOUT THIS REALLY IMPORTANT INFORMATION AND HOW TO PREVENT SKIN CANCER. THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU. IT'S VERY IMPORTANT WHERE YOU'RE AT. THANKS, JENNIFER.