Protect Yourself From Skin Cancer

Helga Greenfield, associate vice president for Advancement Operations, is an avid walker around the Spelman campus. She not only protects her heart with vigorous exercise, she also uses a moisturizer and foundation that contain sun protection factors – also known as SPFs – to protect her skin.

Overexposure to the sun’s dangerous ultraviolet rays can lead to skin cancer.  Many African-Americans are under the erroneous assumption that they are not at risk because of their darker skin pigmentation.  Although African-Americans get skin cancer at lower rates, when they do develop the disease, the outcome is often more serious because the diagnosis is usually made at more advanced stages, when treatment is more difficult.

Whether you’re fair or have a dark complexion, engaging in outdoor activities unprotected may result in unhealthy skin. Lynette Hall, a family nurse practitioner for Health Services, offers the following advice to prevent skin cancer:

• Shield your head, eyes and face from harmful ultraviolet rays by wearing large brim hats and sunglasses;
• Avoid direct sunlight when the sun is at its hottest, between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m.;
• Apply products with SPF30 every hour when engaging in outdoor activities that expose you to water, and apply every 2-3 hours when outdoors but not exposed to water.

Greenfield and her walking companion, Jane Smith, executive director of the Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement, use moisturizers with SPF25.  Follow their lead and take prevention seriously.  Apply an SPF product to your body daily and watch for signs of unusual changes in skin texture and moles, as these may be signs of skin cancer.

For more information about how to protect your skin, visit www.cancer.org/docroot/ped/content/ped

Optional:  Please tell us what precautions you take during outdoor activities and you may be selected to win free samples of SPF products. — Danita McClain, C’2003, is the communications assistant for the Office of Communications.