There's no screen like sunscreen

I had a late start at the office today, leaving me with a chance to get in a nice, long run before seeing my first patient. I don't very often run during late morning hours---and today it was HOT! And bright. Sure, we've passed the solstice, but the sun is still very high and very bright in the sky.

Now that I'm an "old" man, I have become very good about wearing a hat and coating my body with sunscreen when running, paddling, hiking, surfing, etc. I was not always so diligent. At Ironman Hawaii in 2000, I decided not to wear sunscreen at all. I didn't want it dripping into and burning my eyes, and the greasiness of so many sunscreens has always been a problem with sunglasses. So, I (foolishly) raced sans screen. The result? Oddly, no burn. I was VERY lucky and pretty stupid (though the absence of a burn does not mean that my skin/body was free of any damage from that day).

Skin cancer is the most prevalent cancer in the United States. Cumulative sun exposure is thought to be the cause of squamous cell and basal skin cancers (the "less" serious cancers) while episodes of serious sunburns (click here if have a strong stomach) early in life are thought to lead to melanoma. Melanoma is by far the rarest of the 3 types, but is responsible for approximately 75% of deaths related to skin cancer.

Sunscreens have changed a lot since my childhood. In the old days, we looked at the SPF number and slathered it on. Now, you need to read the label well enough to know which UV spectrums will be "screened". And don't count on that running shirt or rash guard to offer protection. Most dry t-shirts offer SPF around 10, and once wet drop to less than half that number.

And now that I'm a dad, I had to research all over again to know not only what would protect my son, but what would not irritate his skin. I am neither a pediatrician nor a dermatologist, so I'll leave that research up to you.

For my body, I go to Costco or Target and buy (in bulk) a broad spectrum, high SPF "water-proof" sunscreen. I don't care too much about the brand, just the ingredients. For my face, I recently discovered Watermans sunscreen (note: I have no affiliation with the company). It's pretty expensive (hence, I just use it on my face) but it is the first and only sunscreen that I have ever used that does not drip into and burn my eyes. I have paddled, surfed, run and mountain biked using this stuff. It works well enough that I no longer paint my face, ears and scalp white with zinc oxide before heading out on the water---like this.