I did an interview for an article aimed at cyclists, and it's worth sharing with everyone now that the sun is out. Keep an eye out for Sunscreening workshop by donation at Karma Coop the second Tuesday of August 2016 and my full day Sun & Bug Protection workshop in Aug 8!
Q: What is skin cancer?
Tracey: Skin cancer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal skin cells.
Q: How is it caused?
Tracey: Cancers are, generally speaking, failures of the immune system to repair damaged and recycle dysfunctional cells. The DNA of skin cells can be damaged by harmful ingredients in body care products, and ultraviolet radiation from sunshine or tanning beds. This damage triggers mutations, or genetic defects, that lead the skin cells to multiply rapidly and form malignant tumours.
Q: Which skin types are at a higher risk of skin cancer?
Tracey: In my opinion, dry stressed skin is the most vulnerable. Prevailing wisdom has it that the lighter your skin, the more you need to use sunscreens. It is true that melanin in the skin is the body's built-in sunscreen, so the darker your skin, the more automatically protected you are from burning.
Ironically, most commercial sunscreens contain known or suspected carcinogens and most liquid soaps are in reality DNA damaging detergents such as sodium lauryl and laureth sulphate.
Get EWG's Guide to Safer Sunscreens!
Q: What are the best ways cyclists can protect their skin from the sun (shade, clothing, etc.)?
Tracey: Clothing that covers the skin or provides shading is always the best first defence - you know when your hat falls off, but you may not know if you missed a spot or rubbed your skin protection away!
The best sunscreen is one that uses zinc oxide, preferably in a beeswax formula to make it water and sweat-proof. I make Sun Protection with Zinc Cream
Beeswax stays on the surface of the skin, keeping the sunscreen where it is needed to block the sun's rays, even shedding water and sweat. Zinc Oxide forms a mechanical reflective barrier to both UVA and UVB rays, and is not only skin safe but skin healing!
Q: Is there a certain time of day to limit sun exposure?
Tracey: You are most at risk of burning from 11 am to 3 pm, so I suggest using a zinc oxide sunscreen application at 11 am and again at 1 pm. No matter what sunscreen you use, your skin will absorb and process it in 2 hours, so you will need to reapply every 2 hours.
For the average outdoorsy person, I recommend moisturizing all summer long using
Yellow Shea Butter
or Cocoa Butter
or another anti-oxidant skin conditioning sun protectant at the beginning and end of the day
AND
a with zinc and beeswax cream Sun Protection with Zinc Cream at 11 am and at 1pm for 11 am - 3 pm protection.
Q: Anything else outdoor enthusiasts can do to help reduce their risk of skin cancer?
Tracey: Yes! Definitely drink plenty of water. Dry skin, like dry anything, burns much more readily. So stay moisturized inside and out using simple skin moisturizers and drinking plenty of water.
Q: Any year-round tips/suggestions?
Tracey: Overexposure to the sun at any time of year can result in burns and skin damage. So as a habit, stay moisturized inside and out using simple skin moisturizers (even extra virgin olive oil!) and drinking plenty of water.
Q: What about Vitamin D? How much sun is needed to maintain these Vitamin D levels?
Our skin needs @15 minutes of sun exposure to start making the pro hormone that will eventually be made by the liver into vitamin D. Cocoa and shea butters help the body make vitamin D by providing saturated fats to the skin. A light skinned person a sunny beach can make up to 10,000 IU of vitamin D in one hour. It is thought that we need 1,000 IU per day, year round. So our bodies stockpile it in the liver for use as needed.
I suggest getting as much safe sun as you can! Most North Americans are vitamin D deficient, and this puts every organ system at risk, as vitamin D is required to absorb many nutrients.
Be careful not to soap and shower off the vitamin D your skin has made during the day. Allow 6 hours for the skin to deliver the prohormone to the liver!
WANT TO MAKE YOUR OWN SUNSCREENS NOW?
Please order Workshop Notes with Guidance if you'd like to get going on your own, with free email guidance from me. You can check my website using the SEARCH function for more info on sun screening ingredients.
Hope to see you at a Sunscreening workshop someday soon!