Just in time for Summer

After months of a long dark winter, it’s great to see leaves back on the trees, birds singing and flowers in bloom. But just about when I’m ready to burst in to a chorus of “Here Comes the Sun, out comes a report warning us about the danger of Melanoma.

I have turned back the “Tanning” years ago; the days of eight hours on a beach coated in baby oil have been replaced with a few hours wearing suntan lotion with SPF 15. Instead of hearing “Wow what a dark tan” I get comments like “Have you been outside lately you seem to have A Healthy glow.” I can even say that free from the burden of keeping a tan, I have freed up time to just enjoy the weather.

A report out today in

tells us that even wearing sunscreen does little to protect us from the deadliest form of skin cancer. There has been no proof that sunscreens protect against melanoma The recommendation of Stephan Lautenschlager of the Outpatient Clinic of Dermatology at Triemli Hospital in Switzerland is to “Instead, wear sunblocking clothing or stay out of the sun altogether”

"Wearing sun-protective clothing and a hat and reducing sun exposure to a minimum should be preferred to sunscreens," Lautenschlager said. People tend to sunbathe for social reasons, he said. "Nevertheless, sunscreens should not be abused in an attempt to increase time in the sun to a maximum."

While reading the article, I had a mental image of a couple walking along the beach, covered in sunscreen, him wearing “surf-Boarding shorts and a T-shirt, she dressed in a thin short-sleeved sundress. Not clothes designed for swimming or a day on the beach, but at least seasonally appropriate.
I has a little taken back by his recommendation of what he considered proper summer attire.

“The best clothing for sun protection is tightly woven, thick garments made of denim, wool or polyester, not cotton, linen or acetate, he said. Dry material or clothes that have shrunk after washing are denser and better at blocking UV rays than wet, stretched or bleached clothing”.

Could you imagine how poor the ratings for Bay Watch would have been if Pamela Anderson was filmed in an all wool suit, hat, gloves and Zinc oxide. That would have brought her career to a screeching halt.

The article however failed to mention the dangers associated with wondering out on to a crowded beach dressed in protective garb traditionally associated with a Christmas sleigh ride. Aside from heat stroke, you run the likely risk of being pelted with rocks, and or having the
S#!T kicked out of you by a group convinced your some sort of “Weirdo.”

Maybe, once again, moderation is the answer. There must be a way to be out on a beautiful summers day without wearing a wardrobe purchased at a NASA surplus sale.

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Urban NewsBlog
Larry Lubell