Preventing Sun Exposure on the Course

During golf season, the sun is often shining, and after such a long winter, you enjoy its warmth as you walk the course.

As a golfer, you spend countless hours outside. While exposure to the sun does have some benefits, you do need to be careful. The sun can cause painful sunburns, and sun exposure, even without sunburn, causes early wrinkling and age spots. Sunburns also increase your risk for skin cancer.

Protecting your skin

Regardless of whether you are playing golf, gardening, or lounging by the pool, it is important to protect your skin from the sun. Middlesex Health dermatologists offer a few tips to help you stay safe outside:

• When possible, plan outdoor activities before 10 a.m. or after 2 p.m. to avoid the strongest ultraviolet (UV) sun exposure.
• Seek shade! Find shade under an umbrella, tree, awning or golf cart roof.
• Wear sun-protective clothing. The best UV protective gear has a tight weave that prevents harmful UV rays from reaching your skin. Clothing that you cannot see your hand through is best. Sometimes, the clothing is designed for a specific activity and is labeled with a ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) rating. Look for a UPF of 30 or higher!
• Wear a hat. The best hats for sun protection have a four-inch brim all the way around. Wearing a baseball cap can certainly help, but it does leave your neck and cheeks exposed.
• Always wear sunscreen! Apply a generous layer of broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher BEFORE going outside. Because sunscreen wears off, remember to reapply sunscreen at least every two hours.

Choosing a sunscreen

When it comes to sunscreen, there are so many choices! The American Academy of Dermatology recommends a sunscreen that says on the label:

• Broad spectrum: This means that the sunscreen blocks ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) rays, both of which are associated with skin cancers.
• SPF 30 or higher: This is a measure of the potency of the sunscreen.
• Water resistant or very water resistant: Sunscreen is not waterproof, but selecting a sunscreen that is water resistant is helpful. Sunscreen should be reapplied every 40 to 80 minutes when you are sweating (like when you are playing golf).

The skin cancer risk

Skin cancer can develop when skin is exposed to the sun, and there are three main types: basal carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma. Like most other cancers, the best outcomes happen when the cancer is caught early.

Skin cancer can affect anyone. It doesn’t matter your age, gender or skin tone. It also appears both in areas normally exposed to the sun, such as your arms and face, and areas that are not, such as areas under clothing and beneath your toe nails.

You can reduce your risk of getting skin cancer by limiting, or avoiding exposure to ultraviolet radiation — the sun! This means using sunscreen and wearing lightweight clothing during the summer months.

What to look for 

In addition to visiting a dermatologist annually, it’s important to check your skin throughout the year — not just during golf season — for any changes in appearance. For those tough to see spots, a loved one should be able to help!

Look for any pearly or waxy bumps and flat, flesh-colored or brown scar-like lesions. These can be signs of basal cell carcinoma. Firm, red nodules, or flat lesions with a scaly, crusted surface can indicate squamous cell carcinoma.

Signs of melanoma, the most dangerous skin cancer, include a change in the color, size or shape of a mole. Small lesions with irregular borders, or lesions that contain different colors may also be of concern.

About Middlesex Health

From dermatologists and primary care providers providing skin cancer screenings to surgeons treating skin cancer, Middlesex Health can help you protect your skin and tackle any problems.

Should you need it, Middlesex Health Cancer Center’s expert physicians and staff are ready to provide you with the best possible care, while helping you understand your diagnosis and treatment.

Click here to learn more about the Middlesex Health Cancer Center.