Skin cancer prevention — why mustard is NOT the answer
My Sunburn Story
St. George Island.
A little island just southeast of Apalachicola, Florida.
Right in the bend of the state. The armpit of Florida? Perhaps it’s belly-button? Either way, it’s beautiful.
St. George Island at dusk. Photo by Author.
It was my first day on the beach at St. George, and I was pale from a winter of hibernating. I couldn’t wait to feel the sun on my skin.
And I did.
I threw down my towel and grabbed my book. Then I swam. Drank a beer. Fought the waves. All fun stuff.
As the day wore on, I noticed my skin turning a little pink. Time to put on some sunscreen.
But I was wrong.
So very wrong.
The time to apply it would have been hours ago. That night, my skin was cherry red. I couldn’t wear a shirt without pain. Flip-flops hurt my feet.
Flip flops are too laid back to be hurting anyone.
The sun had done its worst and cooked me.
The Mustard Myth
My fearless travel companions put me on to a home remedy: mustard. I slathered it on my burn like Joey Chestnut on the Fourth of July. (Just kidding, he doesn’t add mustard in the hot dog eating contest.)
I was like that one with mustard all over it. Photo by Thomas Bormans on Unsplash
You won’t believe what it did —
Jack Squat.
There’s no scientific evidence that mustard helps at all and may even irritate the skin worse. I tried to pretend it helped because everyone was telling me it would.
It never did. Just caused more pain. Maybe my friends are sadists.
Effective Sun Burn Treatment
There are some things that actually help the pain of a sunburn.
Aloe vera
Ibuprofen
Hydration
Scientific research has proven that each of these helps.
But we can do better. There is a compelling reason to avoid getting burned at all.
Skin Cancer
Skin cancer will afflict one in five Americans in their lifetimes. That’s twenty percent.
Ultraviolet (UV) radiation doesn’t turn you into the Hulk. It fries your skin from the sun. (Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
Melanoma
Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer, with more than 63,000 new cases resulting in nearly 9,000 deaths each year (American Academy of Dermatology).
The National Cancer Institute has even higher numbers, estimating 100,640 new cases of melanoma in 2024. That’s five percent of all cancers. (National Cancer Institute).
Scary. The good news is that most skin cancers are preventable.
Sunscreen, Our Best Defense
But we can protect ourselves. Broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher can reduce the risk of skin cancer. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
But to work, you can’t wait until you turn pink. By then, the damage is done. Apply it 30 minutes prior to getting in the sun. Then set a timer and reapply every two hours. Bump that down to about 90 minutes if you’re swimming or sweating.
And just because it’s overcast, doesn’t mean you are scot-free. You still need sunscreen. Up to 80% of the sun’s UV rays penetrate cloud cover. (Skin Cancer Foundation).
Base Tan?
How about that old trick of getting a base tan before going to the beach. Like the mustard idea, that’s hogwash. Tanning beds are moderate to high-risk cancer-causing agent. (Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth).
They’re not safe. Really the whole idea of a base tan is silly when you think about it. Sure, the tan means you’ll burn less, but the tan is, itself, a sign of sun damage.
The Wear Sunscreen Song. A lot of other good advice in here.
Key Takeaways
Suns burns are painful. Skin cancer can be deadly. Don’t forget sunscreen.
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