By Markham Heid, Prevention
You already know that sunscreen, protective clothing, and staying out
of the sun during peak hours are your best defenses against deadly
melanoma and other forms of skin cancer. But considering that 40-50
percent of Americans will eventually develop some form of skin cancer during their lifetime, you may want to step up your game even further. That's where the following strategies come in.
[post_ads]"None of these can replace sunscreen or protective clothing, but
they're steps you can take that offer additional protection," says Adam Friedman, MD, an associate professor of dermatology at George Washington University. Read on to find out how to get that extra edge.
It's not exactly a "sunscreen pill," but taking a supplement called Heliocare (Buy now: $23, amazon.com)
before heading to the beach might reduce your skin's reactions to UVB
rays (the kind that make you burn). It contains polypodium leucotomos
extract (PLE)—a substance from fern trees—and there's some decent
research to back it up, says Friedman. It seems to work by helping the
DNA in your skin resist the kinds of sun damage-triggered changes that
allow cancerous cells to form.
One recent study
from Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit found people who used this
supplement experienced less skin damage after they were exposed to UVB
rays. For best results, research
suggests that you should take it the day before you're going to be out
in the sun as well as the day of that picnic or beach volleyball
tournament. (If you want to further shield your skin from harmful rays, make sure you try sun protective clothing.)
You might assume the windows in your home and
car effectively block ultraviolet light. Not so, Friedman says. While
your car's windshield deflects both UVA and UVB rays, its side windows
repel only UVB light. UVA won't burn your skin, but it can give you
cancer, Friedman says. And many home windows also only block UVB
light—or no ultraviolet light at all, he adds. (Sunglasses can also
protect against UVA and UVB rays—here are the cutest pairs on sale now.)
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To protect yourself, you don't have to hole up in a dark basement;
just don't lounge in direct light shining through your windows or
skylights in the middle of the day. And if you drive all the time,
consider a UV filter for your driver's-side window like this one.
Bad news for your next backyard BBQ or golf outing: "Alcohol seems to
increase the impact of UV on the skin," Friedman says, though the exact
mechanism isn't clear.
What about hitting the bar after the sun goes down? More research is needed, but a 2016 study in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention
suggests you should also be cautious about drinking indoors. The study
found that every daily drink a person swallows increases the risk of
melanoma by 14 percent, and white wine in particular seemed to be
troublesome. The authors believe that alcohol may somehow interfere with
the DNA-repair process in your skin.
Some prescription medications can make your
skin more sensitive to the sun's rays, increasing your risk of damage
and, in some cases, skin cancer, Friedman says. Some drugs to watch out
for include the antibiotic doxycycline (Oracea, Monodox); a class of
diuretics called thiazides (Lozol, Microzide, Zaroxolyn); and the
antifungal drug voriconazole (VFend). But ask your pharmacist or read
the warning information related to your meds to be sure. (Here are three other ways antibiotics can do more harm than good.)
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If your immune system is weak or compromised, you may be at elevated risk for skin cancer, according to a 2011 study from the British Journal of Dermatology.
The likely reason: When your immune system is weakened, it might not be
able to kill cancer or tumor cells in their earliest stages.
If you tend to get sick often, that's a sign your immune system may not be in tip-top shape.
Along with exercise and maintaining a healthy weight, some foods are
known immune-boosters. Eating more garlic, yogurt, and black and green
tea might help.
