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February 7th, 2012
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Sun Protection at the Snow

Posted on Jun 22 in Featured, Skincareby QV SkincarePrintText Resizer Text Resizer

Australia has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world. Most of us now know how important it is to protect our skin from the sun in summer, but it is also important to be SunSmart in winter — especially if you’re heading to the snow. It can be easy to get sunburnt at the snow, even when conditions are cold. Sunburn is not only painful and embarrassing, it can also cause long-term damage to your skin, such as wrinkling, blotchiness and premature ageing. More importantly, sunburn is a significant risk factor for skin cancer. The more you are exposed to UV radiation – whether it’s at the beach or on the slopes – the greater your risk of developing skin cancer.

Why is UV radiation a risk at the snow?

  • The risk of sunburn and skin damage from UV radiation is high in alpine regions for a number of reasons: UV radiation levels are more intense at high altitude than at low altitude (sea level) because the air is cleaner and there is less atmosphere to absorb harmful UV rays. UV levels increase by 10-12% with every 1,000-metre increase in altitude. There is up to 30% more UV radiation at Mt Perisher (2,054 metres) and Thredbo (2,037 metres) than at sea level.
  • Snow is highly reflective. On a sunny day, clean fresh snow can reflect as much as 80% of UV radiation. This means that UV radiation not only reaches you directly, it also reaches you indirectly when it is scattered and reflected by the snow.

How to protect your skin

Most ski gear is already designed to cover most of your body to keep you warm, but don’t forget the bits that aren’t covered.

Remember these tips:

  • UV levels are usually highest in the middle of the day. Think about taking a break from the slopes indoors or in the shade.
  • Keep your head covered with a balaclava or a beanie with fl aps to cover your ears.
  • Apply a generous quantity of SPF 30+, broad-• spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen to all exposed areas of skin (face, throat, back of the neck, ears, and backs of hands if not wearing gloves) 20 minutes before going outside.
  • Remember that snow refects UV rays, so make sure you apply sunscreen under your chin, beneath the tip of your nose and behind your ears.
  • Apply SPF30+, broad-spectrum lip balm or zinc • cream to your lips.
  • Carry small tubes of sunscreen and lip balm so you can reapply every two hours throughout the day.
  • If skiing in spring, when conditions begin to warm up, you may have more skin exposed, so remember to apply sunscreen liberally to all exposed areas and wear tops with long sleeves and a high neck or collar.
  • Many people confuse sunburn with windburn, which occurs when strong wind strips the skin’s natural oils. While windburnt skin may feel red and irritated, much like the effects of sunburn, windburn does not cause long-term skin damage and skin cancer. The moisturisers in sunscreen can help to relieve the effects of windburn.

How to protect your eyes

  • Snow blindness — sunburn on the surface of the eye — is a real risk at the snow. The condition is usually temporary and may last only a few days, but it can be very painful and contribute to long-term damage, such as cataracts.
  • To protect your eyes from glare and reflected UV radiation.
  • Wear wrap-around sunglasses or snug-fitting goggles. Check the tag to ensure glasses or goggles meet the Australian Standard AS1067.
  • If you wear prescription glasses, talk to your optometrist about getting prescription lenses fitted in your sunglasses 0r goggles.

Protecting children at the snow

Exposure to UV radiation in the first 15 years can greatly increase a child’s risk of developing skin cancer later in life, so it’s vital to protect their skin on the slopes.

Apply SPF30+, broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen liberally to their exposed skin 20 minutes before they go outside. Give your children small tubes of SPF30+ sunscreen and lip balm so they can reapply throughout the day.

Ensure children’s eyes are protected by good quality goggles or glasses. For safety, children’s glasses or goggles should have plastic (not glass) lenses. Eyewear for children and teenagers should meet the Australian Standard AS1067. Toy and/or fashion spectacles may not provide adequate protection.

If the weather is warming up and your children are wearing lighter clothing, make sure they still have long sleeves and high necklines. Children’s headwear should protect their ears as well as their heads. Be a good role model for your children. Actions speak louder than words.

Cancer Council: SunSmart Information Sheet

Further Information

For more information please visit our website: http://www.cancercouncil.com.au/sunsmart

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Entry Details: This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010 at 19:43, by QV Skincare, and is filed under Featured, Skincare. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. Print This!

12 Comments

  • forex robot says:
    June 23, 2010 at 01:30

    nice post. thanks.

    Reply
  • medical assistant says:
    June 29, 2010 at 22:23

    I’ve recently started a blog, the information you provide on this site has helped me tremendously. Thank you for all of your time & work.

    Reply
  • Aaliyah says:
    July 4, 2010 at 23:41

    nice post. thanks.

    Reply
  • Pharmacy technician book says:
    July 9, 2010 at 10:13

    Great information! I’ve been looking for something like this for a while now. Thanks!

    Reply
  • christine says:
    July 14, 2010 at 11:50

    Scare mongering using a blog to sell yQV susncreen. Studies clearly show that wearing sunscreen does not do anything to prevent basel cell carcinoma, and only a 40% reduction in squameous cell carcinoma (http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/8.30/helthrpt/stories/s51601.htm). Compare that benefit with the petroleum oil and chemical components of these sunscreens and i think most thinking people would choose to not wear this on a daily basis.

    Reply
    • QV Skincare says:
      July 15, 2010 at 16:49

      Christine,

      Please see the comments below from Dr Kerryn Greive, who is our Scientific Affairs Manager at Ego Pharmaceuticals.

      LoveQV

      Reply
  • Dr Kerryn Greive @Ego says:
    July 15, 2010 at 16:46

    Thank you for your comments regarding wearing sunscreen and preventing skin cancer. The article you referred us to at abc.net.au was broadcast in 1999 and discussed work that was published in 1999 by Adele Green and her study group. Since this time, a lot more research has been published by Adele Green and others, that enables us to get a fuller understanding of the effectiveness of sunscreen in preventing skin cancer. Published research from recent years has confirmed that sunscreen can help reduce the rate of squamous cell carcinoma, and that there is a trend to a reduction in the rate of basal cell carcinomas with regular sunscreen use. It has also been found that using sunscreen regular is a very cost effective way to reduce skin cancer incidents. Unfortunately due to the long time it takes to develop skin cancer conducting fully controlled trials in regards to sunscreen and skin cancer is very hard. In order to get a definitive answer we would need to take two groups of people, and for about 25 years, make sure that one group never applied sunscreen and the other did faithfully. As I am sure you will appreciate, this would be very challenging. Because of this, we have to look at the evidence we do have and make conclusions about the likely outcomes. For example, we know that there is a link between childhood sunburn and tanning behaviour with cancer later in life, so behaviour that help prevent sunburn and tanning should by extension then help reduce skin cancer later in life. We also know that solar radiation causes DNA damage, and DNA damage is one of the events that needs to take place in order for cancer to start developing. So again if we can protect from DNA damage by using sunscreen, we should be having an affect on our risk of getting skin cancer. The use of sunscreen could never be said to be 100% protective against cancer, but it certainly does help. With 2 in every 3 Australians experiencing skin cancer in their lifetime, skin cancer will touch almost everyone in this country. Sunscreen is a great tool in helping prevent skin cancer and other sun related changes such as premature skin aging, age spots and solar keratosis, but it is still just a screen and cannot block out 100% of the suns radiation. This is why it is encouraged that we also use hats, protective clothing, sunglasses and shade to protect our skin. In regards to your comments on “petroleum oil and chemical components” in sunscreens, sunscreens in Australia with an SPF of greater than 15 are medicines. All ingredients must be pre-approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) of Australia, before they can be used in sunscreens. The finished sunscreen must also be listed with the TGA. Only those materials that have been deemed appropriate are permitted for use by the TGA, this includes a full safety evaluation. If you have any further concerns about sunscreens I would be happy to talk to you about them. I am also happy to provide you with the published scientific literature on which I have based my comments above.

    ____________________________

    Thanks
    Kerryn Greive,
    PhD Scientific Affairs Manager
    Ego Pharmaceuticals Pty Ltd

    Reply

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