Fight skin cancer while you sleep

You probably know the sun is the leading cause of skin cancer (not to mention wrinkles and brown spots), so hopefully you’re already shielding yourself from its rays. But you shouldn’t stop there.

New research shows that a few simple lifestyle changes can further reduce your odds of becoming one of the million new cases this year. To make it easy, we’ve put together a 24/7 protection plan — follow it to stay healthy (and hold onto your youthful air) for years to come.

Serve up a better breakfast

Start the day with a glass of pomegranate juice and top your cereal or yoghurt with fresh blueberries; both fruits are high in antioxidant anthocyanins and vitamin C. A diet rich in antioxidants has been proven to help your body defend itself against the damage UV rays can do to your skin cells (such as causing mutations in your DNA that lead to skin cancer). Then indulge in a mid-morning latte; it has cell-protecting benefits too. “Coffee contains some little known but powerful antioxidants, including caffeic and chlorogenic acids,” says preventative medicine expert Dr Donald Hensrud. To avoid the jitters, Hensrud suggests sticking to two cups a day.

Supplement your protection

Researchers have found that taking the extract of the South American fern Polypodium leucotomos (PL) in supplement form can help halt UV-induced skin damage and skin cancer. Find it in Heliocare supplements.

“In human studies, PL has been shown to decrease inflammation and prevent cellular mutations and photo-ageing,” says dermatologist Leslie Baumann. Baumann recommends downing three tablets an hour before heading out in the sun (as she does before playing a round of golf), rather than taking them daily as they can be expensive. However, Cape Town dermatologist and Shape advisory board member Dr Dagmar Whitaker warns against relying solely on supplements to combat the sun. “This cannot replace a sunscreen. Use it in conjunction with your SPF by all means, because every little bit helps, but sunscreen is still essential.”

Aim for a D

There’s a lot of buzz about vitamin D (sometimes dubbed “the sunshine vitamin”) these days. Simply put, exposure to UVB rays makes our bodies produce this nutrient, which is said to help prevent many types of cancer. But lest you think that gives you an excuse to spend your days at the beach or on a tanning bed (which increases your risk for the deadliest type of skin cancer, melanoma, by 75 percent if used in your youth), dermatologists are quick to point out that there are better ways to get your D.

“Exposing yourself to a known carcinogen in order to get a healthy nutrient is a trade-off that doesn’t make sense,” says dermatology professor David E. Fisher. “In our climate,” adds Dr Whitaker, “you need to expose your hands to the sun for just 10 minutes a day to get enough vitamin D — and that many of us get while we are driving!”

A fierce proponent of sun protection, Dr Whitaker says exposing yourself to the sun is a bit like having “just a little bit of unprotected sex”, don’t do it!

In winter, when the sun’s not as strong, get up to 2000 IUs of the vitamin daily in capsule form (look for D3, which is easily absorbed by your body) or through your diet (a glass of fortified milk provides 98 IU; a serving of salmon, 360 IU).

Give your sunscreen a head start

“Exfoliating regularly makes it easier for the active ingredients in your sunscreen to sink in and work their best,” explains dermatologist Amy Wechsler. Skip this step and dead skin cells will build up and form a hard-to-penetrate barrier. Wechsler recommends sloughing daily from head to toe in the shower with a scrub.

Smooth on a serum

Apply an antioxidant serum to your face and neck before spreading on sunscreen to kick your protection up a notch. “The ingredients found in these formulas — green tea, coffeeberry and resveratrol, to name a few — help counteract damage under your skin while your sunblock works on the surface to absorb UV rays,” says Wechsler. “Used together, they’re more effective than either product worn alone.” Try IS Clinical Pro Heal Serum; Dior Capture Totale Brightness Enhancer Serum; or Matis Reponse Jeunesse Optimal Moisturising Serum.

Be a screen star

While changing your lifestyle can enhance all of your anti-cancer efforts, protecting yourself from the sun (which means using copious amounts of sunscreen) is still your first line of defence against the disease. You need to smooth it on before you head out every day, rain or shine (yes, UV rays can penetrate clouds), even if your only exposure is walking from your car to the office.

“People still don’t realise how much we’re exposed to the sun — that ‘accidental’ exposure like driving around, waiting for kids outside their school, gardening or having a braai can add up to 11 hours a week! Daily protection is essential,” emphasises Dr Whitaker.

But perhaps even more important is putting on enough sunscreen to make it work. The question is how mucho “Studies have shown that people use about half the required amount at best,” says Dr Henry Lim, a member of America’s Skin Cancer Foundation Photobiology Committee. This means your SPF 30 might really be giving you closer to SPF 10 or 12.

“The SPF system is complicated, and the truth is nobody will ever apply the amount that is required to achieve the SPF on the bottle,” confirms Dr Whitaker. “My advice would be to use the highest factor you can get your hands on and reapply, reapply, reapply,” she says.

Aim to spread it on 30 minutes before leaving home to give it a chance to absorb and start working. (If it’s a formula that contains only physical blockers, such as titanium dioxide or zinc oxide, you don’t have to wait, as these ingredients are effective on contact.) A daily moisturiser containing sunscreen is simply not enough, says Dr Whitaker. “They don’t give adequate protection, rather a sense of false security.”

In the evening Night-time is when your skin gets to focus on repair, since it’s no longer busy fending off UV rays.

Love your body, love your skin

It turns out there’s a possible link between exercise and skin cancer — people who do a lot of the former aren’t as apt to develop the disease.

According to a recent study from Rutgers University (US), mice that were given access to a running wheel and then exposed to UVB light were 32 percent less likely to develop tumours than their non-exercising counterparts. Although this is just a mouse study, the researchers theorise the same may hold true for humans. What has been proven is that women who are proud of their shape are far more inclined to look at themselves regularly in the mirror and spot suspicious moles, which could be life-saving when you consider that skin cancers are nearly 100 percent curable when detected early. Count that as yet another reason to get yourself to the gym!

Eat like an Italian

Researchers in Italy found that people who follow a Mediterranean diet, rich in foods like dark, leafy greens, tuna and olives, lower their risk of contracting cutaneous melanoma (the most fatal form of skin cancer).
“Many of these foods contain polyphenols (a type of antioxidant) and omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to decrease the proliferation of cancer cells,” explains Cristina Fortes, lead author of a study in the International Journal of Epidemiology on the Mediterranean diet.

Rejuvenate your cells

You’ve probably heard that applying a product containing skin-plumping peptides after cleansing at night can help rebuild sun-damaged collagen fibres. We like Estce Lauder New Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex and La Mer The Concentrate. If you want to step up your regimen, top either of those with one of the newest creams designed to work on damaged DNA: Lancwme Genefique Youth Activating Concentrate helps boost the skin’s tone and texture, and is based on research into genetic ageing. Dior Capture R60/80 Nuit XP is based on stem-cell research and targets the basal layer, where the mother cells live, increasing their night-time power to stimulate DNA repair.

Get your beauty rest

“When you’re asleep, inflammation-healing hormones — endorphins and oxytocin — are at their highest levels,” says Wechsler. So do everything you can to ensure you get your eight hours a night. It’s no longer just your looks that depend on it, it’s your life.

Why a yearly skin check is not enough

While the Cancer Association of SA recommends going to a dermatologist once a year for a professional’s take on all your moles, most doctors we spoke to urge you to regularly scrutinise your skin as well. “It’s a fact that 80 percent of melanomas are diagnosed by the patients themselves — or by their partners — and not by their doctor,” says Dr Whitaker.

Once a month, get naked in front of a full-length mirror and take a close look. Even places that rarely see the sun (like underneath your fingernails, your scalp, behind your ears, between your toes, and on your labia) can be prone to cancer. “Anything that doesn’t heal or changes or gives any kind of sensation is abnormal.

Don’t ignore the signals your body sends you. And if you are at risk — having a family member who’s had a melanoma or having more than 50 moles yourself — you might need mole-mapping or more frequent check-ups,” says Dr Whitaker.