The event is being hosted at Happy & Healthy Pediatrics, and the program looks like it will be outstanding!  We are excited to participate in the event, and Dr. Amy Slear will be speaking at 2:30pm on Sun Safety and Winter Care for Our Children’s Skin.  A complete schedule of events can be found here. For more information, please call: (516) 216-5910

The Colette Coyne Melanoma Awareness Campaign did a wonderful job organizing and promoting the skin cancer screening at the Wantaugh Park/Pool in collaboration with Senator Charles Fuscillo and Nassau County Executive Mangano.  We are thrilled to have been able to contributing to the success of our the screening, working along with doctors from Stony Brook Hospital as well as Dr. Steve Mc Clain from Mc Clain Labs.

A total of 142 patients participated in the free skin cancer screening, and 66 had to be referred for follow up of suspect lesions.

New York State Senator Charles J. Fuschillo, Jr. (R-Merrick) is partnering with Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano and the Colette Coyne Melanoma Awareness Campaign (CCMAC) to help protect residents from skin cancer after a summer in the sun.

Senator Fuschillo, County Executive Mangano, and CCMAC will be sponsoring a free skin cancer screening program on Thursday, August 26^th from 11 am to 2:30 pm at the Wantagh Park pool, which is located at 1 King Road in Wantagh, just south of Merrick Road. CCMAC will be working with Dr. Jeffrey Ellis of Belaray Dermatology, Dr. Steve McClain of McClain Labs, and the doctors from Stony Brook Dermatology to provide the free screenings. Residents can show up anytime during the program; no appointments are required. The program will be held rain or shine.

According to CCMAC, one in five people will be diagnosed with some type of skin cancer in their lifetime. Malignant melanoma, a form of skin cancer, is the fastest growing cancer in America, claiming one life every hour. People of all ethnic backgrounds and races can get skin cancer. One blistering sunburn during childhood or adolescence more than doubles melanoma risk later in life.

Residents who would like more information about the skin cancer screening program should call Senator Fuschillo’s office at 516-882-0630

May is skin cancer month, and the first Monday of May (May 3, 2010) is known as Melanoma Monday – with special activities nationally and locally.  To help spread awareness of skin cancer, and help our community prevent skin cancer, we have developed something very special.

We are proud to introduce our Sun Smart Skin Safe bracelets. They are available in both child and adult sizes, and  will be available for purchase in our office or by mail for $3 each, or 4 for $10.  100% of profits from the sale of these bracelets will be donated charity.  Charities will include the Melanoma Research Foundation, as well as local community skin cancer awareness and prevention projects.  Not only will you be making a donation by purchasing a bracelet, but you may also be helping to protect your skin.  How?  These bracelets do some neat tricks. They change color from white to blue when exposed to harmful UV rays – reminding you to protect yourself and your family.   Here are some tips on how to do just that.

Sun exposure is the most preventable risk factor for all skin cancers, including melanoma. You can have fun in the sun and decrease your risk of skin cancer. Here’s how to Be Skin Safe – Sun Smart:

• Wear protective clothing, such as a long-sleeved shirt, pants, a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses, whenever possible.

• Seek shade when appropriate. Remember that the sun’s rays are strongest between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. If your shadow appears to be shorter than you are, seek shade.

• Protect children from sun exposure. Be sure to play in the shade, use protective clothing, and apply sunscreen.

• Use extra caution near water, snow, and sand because they reflect and intensify the damaging rays of the sun, which can increase your chances of sunburn.

• Get vitamin D safely through a healthy diet that may include vitamin supplements. Don’t seek the sun.

• Avoid tanning beds. Ultraviolet light from the sun and tanning beds can cause skin cancer and wrinkling. If you want to look like you’ve been in the sun, consider using a sunless self-tanning product, but continue to use sunscreen with it.

• Check your birthday suit on your birthday. If you notice anything changing, growing, or bleeding on your skin, see a dermatologist. Skin cancer is very treatable when caught early.

• Use sunscreen – especially one that is thought to be safe by the environmental working group. There are many recommended sunscreens to choose from.

And the fun doesn’t end when the sun goes down.  These bracelet glows in the dark too!!

We hope you use them, share them, enjoy them, learn from them, and stay Sun Smart & Skin Safe with them!

Note: Several local schools and organizations have expressed interest in selling our Sun Smart Skin Safe bracelets as a community project/fundraiser.  We are happy to support you.  Please call the office to set up a meeting to discuss details.

UV Index scale
2 or less: Low

A UV Index reading of 2 or less means low danger from the sun’s UV rays for the average person:

* Wear sunglasses on bright days. In winter, reflection off snow can nearly double UV strength.
* If you burn easily, cover up and use sunscreen.

Look Out Below

Snow and water can reflect the sun’s rays. Skiers and swimmers should take special care. Wear sunglasses or goggles, and apply sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15. Remember to protect areas that could be exposed to UV rays by the sun’s reflection, including under the chin and nose.

3 – 5: Moderate

A UV Index reading of 3 to 5 means moderate risk of harm from unprotected sun exposure.

* Take precautions, such as covering up, if you will be outside.
* Stay in shade near midday when the sun is strongest.

Me and My Shadow

An easy way to tell how much UV exposure you are getting is to look for your shadow:

* If your shadow is taller than you are (in the early morning and late afternoon), your UV exposure is likely to be low.
* If your shadow is shorter than you are (around midday), you are being exposed to high levels of UV radiation. Seek shade and protect your skin and eyes.

6 – 7: High

A UV Index reading of 6 to 7 means high risk of harm from unprotected sun exposure. Apply a sunscreen with a SPF of at least 15. Wear a wide-brim hat and sunglasses to protect your eyes.

* Protection against sunburn is needed.
* Reduce time in the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
* Cover up, wear a hat and sunglasses, and use sunscreen.

Made in the Shades

Wearing sunglasses protects the lids of your eyes as well as the lens.

8 – 10: Very High

A UV Index reading of 8 to 10 means very high risk of harm from unprotected sun exposure. Minimize sun exposure during midday hours, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Protect yourself by liberally applying a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15. Wear protective clothing and sunglasses to protect the eyes.

* Take extra precautions. Unprotected skin will be damaged and can burn quickly.
* Minimize sun exposure between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Otherwise, seek shade, cover up, wear a hat and sunglasses, and use sunscreen.

Stay in the Game

Be careful during routine outdoor activities such as gardening or playing sports. Remember that UV exposure is especially strong if you are working or playing between the peak hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Don’t forget that spectators, as well as participants, need to wear sunscreen and eye protection to avoid too much sun.

11+: Extreme

A UV Index reading of 11 or higher means extreme risk of harm from unprotected sun exposure. Try to avoid sun exposure during midday hours, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Apply sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15 liberally every 2 hours.

* Take all precautions. Unprotected skin can burn in minutes. Beachgoers should know that white sand and other bright surfaces reflect UV and will increase UV exposure.
* Try to avoid sun exposure between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
* Seek shade, cover up, wear a hat and sunglasses, and use sunscreen.

Beat the Heat

It is possible to go outside when the UV Index is 11 or higher. Make sure you always seek shade, wear a hat, cover up, wear 99-100% UV-blocking sunglasses, and use sunscreen. Or you can opt to stay indoors and take the opportunity to relax with a good book rather than risk dangerous levels of sun exposure.

More and more people are looking for ways to protect themselves from the sun’s UV rays.  Fortunately, there are many options to choose from  year- round.  So enjoy the sun – but protect the skin your in.

These include hats, seeking shade, covering up, sunglasses, and avoiding the peak UV times between 10am and 4pm.

Help spread the word!  Here is a link to a CDC flyer on the topic.

Your skin…. Your choice.

The cold weather can make skin dry, crack, hurt and itch… and one of the best things you can do to help your skin is to use wear protective clothing and minimize your exposure.  Last valentines day, we wrote about a pair of winter gloves that many of our patients have found to be most helpful in keeping warm.  This year, we want to focus on minimizing exposure.

Snow is pretty to look at while sitting next to a fire place… but get out there and start to shovel – and you are putting yourself risk.  Strokes, Heart Attacks, and Musculoskeletal injuries are most commonly reported.  But dermatologists often see the effects of exposure on the skin.  And from our perspective – the faster you get back inside, the less exposure injury there will be.

I have recently had the fortune of trying out a new type of snow shovel – the Wovel, which clears snow faster, easier, and more efficiently.  It is pretty amazing.   In my view, it works faster and with far less hassle than a snow blower.  Plus it is environmentally friendly, and requires no maintenance.   It is a must have tool for anyone who shovels.  It will save your back,  save your skin, and save you time!  After all – the faster the work gets done, the faster you can get back inside to relax and enjoy your hot cocoa.

To the gardening world it may have always been considered a fact, but science has never proved the widely held belief that watering your garden in the midday sun can lead to burnt plants. Now a study into sunlit water droplets, published in New Phytologist, provides an answer that not only reverberates across gardens and allotments, but may have implications for human sunburn.

The team conducted  experimental studies to determine how the contact angle between the water droplet and a leaf affects the light environment on a leaf blade. The aim was to clarify the environmental conditions under which sunlit water drops can cause leaf burn.

These experiments found that water droplets on a smooth surface, such as maple or ginkgo leaves, cannot cause leaf burn. However in contrast the team found that leaves with  small wax hairs are susceptible to leaf burn. This is because the hairs can hold the water droplets in focus above the leaf’s surface, acting as a magnifying glass. The latter not only partly confirms the widely held belief of gardeners, but also opens an analogous issue of sunburn on wet human skin.

It seems that drying off thoroughly when you get out of the water may both prevent a chill – and a burn.