With the Florida sun in full summer mode, Orlando Cosmetic Surgery continues our salute to sunscreen, even as we celebrate the patriotic weekday holiday of Flag Day, June 14.
Outdoor events are multiplying on our calendars for June. With the focus on Florida’s famous outdoor activities in full swing, we anticipate outdoor weddings, sporting events and early
Summer vacations and week-end holidays. With all that is going on, it is easy to forget about skin protection.
The doctors and staff at Orlando Cosmetic Surgery and Orlando Cosmetic Surgery Med Spa implore you not to ignore that bottle of sunscreen in your pocket or purse.
The threat of melanoma continues to loom large, this summer.
Sunscreen Saves Skin for Now and Later
Last week, we told you of our commitment to save manly skin and we hope you did not miss that blog with its insights. We know now that male human skin is actually more delicate than female skin.
We also continue the simple suggestion that you provide at least one man you love with a very good sunscreen product like Image Protection Plus. Check that blog to read more about it and Orlando Cosmetic Surgery’s special Father’s Day Offer.
Sunscreen, Bullets and Cancer Danger for Soldiers
Given the underlying patriotic tone of this week with flag day, it seems appropriate to mention a recent study involving out soldiers and military skin in sunny climates.
Vanderbilt dermatologist, Jennifer Powers, M.D., reported in a her study published recently in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology,
“Soldiers who served in the glaring desert sunlight of Iraq and Afghanistan returned home with an increased risk of skin cancer, due not only to the desert climate, but also a lack of sun protection.”
Indeed, this is an issue that should be further investigated. She stated, “The past decade of United States combat missions, including operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, have occurred at a more equatorial latitude than the mean center of the United States population.”
According to studies, this positioning of our troops increases the intensity and frequency of ultraviolet irradiance. Thus chances of skin cancer developing are greater.
She researched several major risks faced by our military stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan:
1. The desert and equatorial latitudes,
2. The length of time spent in sunlight exposure each day,
3. Very little training about the dangers of sun exposure and limited access to sunscreen.
Shockingly, Dr. Powers and her team discovered that only 13 percent of participants in her survey said they routinely used sunscreen. Likewise, 87 percent of the soldiers in her study
“reported their sunscreen use as “sporadic” or “sometimes.”
Moreover, only 23 percent of veterans indicated the military had made them very aware of the risks of skin cancer.
Dr. Powers , Vanderbilt, and Orlando Cosmetic Surgery concede that “military personnel deployed overseas may often have survival priorities other than avoiding sun exposure…”
Still, the study shows us that the deficiencies in sun protection could “translate into long-term health risks,” for our veterans.
Perhaps more and larger studies should be mandated. It seems extremely unfair to survive enemy bullets and bombs only to be afflicted with melanoma when returning home to the states.
She concluded, “This study demonstrates room for improvement for skin cancer prevention and early detection in the military population, including possible screening of higher-risk personnel.”
More information is available for you at the Vanderbilt Research online publication of these findings.
Meanwhile, Orlando Cosmetic Surgery and the Orlando Cosmetic Surgery Med Spa highly recommend that you include sunscreen in the care packages from home to our military men and women.
You might even include a little love note about the importance of its use.
