Dr. Susan Taylor, President of the American Academy of Dermatology, discusses sun safety for this summer.
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00:00Now with summer sun in full force in much of the country, we're joined by the president of the
00:04American Academy of Dermatology to talk smart sun safety. Welcome Dr. Susan Taylor. This has been
00:11something I have been so passionate about and I'm so excited to talk to you. In fact, she already
00:17told me, doctor, she wants me to leave the set so you can conduct the interview. I can get all my
00:22questions answered. Good morning. Good morning. Sorry, quite an intro. All right, let's start.
00:27What are some of the most important steps people should take every day to protect their skin from
00:33the sun? Well, everyone should have a comprehensive sun protection plan and that includes a broad
00:41spectrum SPF sunscreen that is water resistant that's applied every two hours. Avoiding the sun
00:49when it's at its peak, that would be between 10 and 2. Walking on the shady side of the street is
00:55really a simple thing. And then accessories, wearing hats, wearing visors, and of course,
01:02sunglasses. So all of it adds up and makes a difference to protect our skin from the sun.
01:09Now I hear you on the hat. Listen, when you have my head, everything's got to be covered
01:14anytime the sun is out. Why is it so important to choose a broad spectrum of sunscreen with at least
01:21SPF of 30 and how often should it be reapplied? Right. So the first thing that's very important
01:29to know is what a broad spectrum sunscreen means. That means that it will protect our skin from both
01:36ultraviolet A and ultraviolet B light. And both of those are very important because ultraviolet B is
01:43what causes burning of the skin, sunburns, but also ultraviolet B can lead to skin cancers.
01:50We want to protect from ultraviolet A. Those are the deeper rays that go very deeply into our skin
01:55and can cause premature aging as well as skin cancer. So we want to protect from both. It's important
02:04to reapply sunscreen every two hours. And that's what people commonly forget. It only lasts for two hours.
02:10It's inactivated after it's been in the sun. So again, an SPF 30 is going to block out about 97%
02:19of the sun's rays. All right. There are so many different kinds of sunscreens out there.
02:24What type should people look for? And then how do we use them correctly?
02:28Yeah. So my simple answer is you're going to select the sunscreen that you like best that you're
02:34going to apply. If you don't like it, you're not going to use it. That's going to defeat the whole
02:39purpose. So there are two different types of sunscreen. They're inorganic and organic. Some
02:45contain zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. They can sometimes give a little white cast to the skin,
02:51but that has gotten much better. And then there are what we call chemical sunscreens. Now, all of them
02:58come in different formulations. So there are sprays, which you just showed a few minutes ago.
03:03There are creams and lotions and gels. So there's really something for everyone.
03:10All right. What should we look for during a self-exam and how often should these be done?
03:18Well, it's very important for you to see your board certified dermatologist once a year
03:22so that you can have a complete skin check. And what are we looking for? We are looking for signs of skin
03:29cancer. The most serious type of skin cancer is called melanoma. And often that will present as
03:36a changing mole, a mole that has gotten darker or larger or is multiple colors, a mole that was
03:43formerly flat and becomes raised. And then there are two other types of skin cancer that are very common,
03:50basal cell skin cancer and squamous cell skin cancer. And they can appear as red bumps on the skin,
03:57scaly patches on the skin. So anything that changes, bring it immediately to the attention
04:04of your physician and go in once a year because it's really board certified dermatologists. We call
04:11us FAADs who are best qualified to identify all kinds of skin cancer and the 3,000 different kinds of
04:21skin, hair and nail disorders that people can experience.
04:24Got it. Way more trusted than my internet search of what does, what is this? All right. With summer
04:30heat rising, what are some of the practical sun safety habits for families spending time outdoors
04:35or at the beach?
04:37Well, again, it's very easy for parents to use the spray sunscreen for their kids because kids often,
04:44you know, they're running around, they don't want to keep still, but you have to be very careful
04:49that it's applied evenly. So you want to have multiple passes and then you want to rub it in
04:55just like this person is rubbing in a cream sunscreen. And also you want to make sure that
05:01no one inhales spray sunscreens. Remember, apply that sunscreen to your family, to your children 20
05:08minutes before you go outside. Many people wait till they get to the beach and apply it. You want to
05:13apply it before you're exposed to the sun. Don't forget those umbrellas. You want to be under the
05:19shade as much as possible as you enjoy this gorgeous summer weather.
05:24I love it. Dr. Susan Taylor, president of the American Academy of Dermatology. Thank you so much
05:28for joining us here on AccuEther Early.