June is the beginning of summer and longer days with more exposure to the sun. It’s also Men’s Health Awareness Month; so, what better time to talk about men’s skin care?
Palomar UC San Diego Health Dermatologist Patrick Armstrong, MD, says men are notorious for neglecting their skin (side note – he says some women may overdo skin care at times, spending big bucks for products that don’t work any better than inexpensive sunscreen), but since this is an article targeted to men, we will leave that tidbit alone.
“Men just don’t seem to care (for their skin) at all, and may be missing some benefits from products that could do a lot of preventative good.”
Specifically, Dr. Armstrong recommends applying moisturizing sunscreen rated at SPF 30 to exposed skin whenever you leave the house. He suspects the reason women are more apt to follow this counsel is because they are culturally more inclined to apply skin moisturizer than men. SPF 30 blocks 98% of all harmful UV rays. It will reduce cumulative sun damage over time.
“Just walking the dog, going in your back yard, driving your car (you get UVA through the driver-side window), adds up through the years and contributes to aging of the skin and cancerous cells.”
If you are anticipating long exposures to the sun, such as going to the beach or walking around a farmer’s market, Dr. Armstrong suggests applying sweat and water resistant SPF 50. He says that adds a little more protection than SPF 30 and won’t come off as easily. He doesn’t suggest paying extra for ratings above SPF 50 because you won’t get bang for the buck.
“You are kind of splitting hairs when you get above SPF 50. You are talking about 99.2% protection for SPF 100 versus 99.0% for SPF 50.”
Even SPF 30 applied thickly can work as well as a thin layer of SPF 50, Dr. Armstrong says. The key is to keep reapplying every 2-3 hours, depending on how much you are sweating or exposed to water. Also make sure to apply sunscreen to the neck, ears and back of the hands, frequently missed areas.
Dr. Armstrong cautions against falling into the marketing trap of purchasing expensive skin care products making big promises.
“I think the science behind them is weak.”
Instead his philosophy is to keep it simple with skin care; block the sun, which brings us to an even more effective prevention measure than sunscreen, clothing.
Some clothes come with a UPF rating. The gold standard is a UPF rating of 50 plus, Dr. Armstrong says. That blocks more than 99% of harmful UV rays. Wearing a long sleeve shirt, pants and a wide-brimmed hat that shades the ears and neck will provide hours of protection. If it’s a hot summer day and you are opposed to wearing a long-sleeve shirt, you can wear UPF-rated sleeves that fit tightly to the arm.
Lastly, it is important to monitor your skin and have problem areas checked out by a doctor. Unlike with your prostate, there is no recommended age for having a skin evaluation, but those with a family history of melanoma or those with a long history of sun exposure should have a baseline test done if anything looks unusual. The older you get, the more likely you are to have problems.
To learn more, talk to your primary care physician or search for a dermatologist on the Arch Health Medical Group website.
Photo caption: Dr. Patrick Armstrong is a Board Certified Dermatologist and practices medicine with Arch Medical Group and Palomar UC San Diego Health.