| When I moved to Colorado from the Northeast | | | | ‘Am I harming myself by using it?’ |
| several years back, I noticed a disturbing thing | | | | I’ve spent a lot of time talking to people |
| starting to happen - brown sun spots appearing | | | | about it.” |
| on my hands and arms. I had always worn a hat | | | | The latest report comes from the Environmental |
| to protect my face, but tended to neglect my | | | | Working Group, which claims that in an |
| hands and arms. Then I noticed in particular that | | | | investigation of nearly 1,000 sunscreen products, |
| the sun spots were appearing a lot more on my | | | | four out of five offer inadequate protection from |
| left arm than my right. I didn't know what to | | | | the sun or contain ingredients that may pose a |
| make of it until, one day when I was driving, it all | | | | health risk. |
| became clear. The sun beating down on my hand | | | | “What they are doing is developing their own |
| and arm through the driver's side window was the | | | | system for evaluating things,” said Dr. |
| culprit. I spent several hours a week driving and | | | | Warwick L. Morison, professor of dermatology at |
| never even considered the implications of having | | | | Johns Hopkins and chairman of the Skin Cancer |
| my left hand at the mercy of the sun while | | | | Foundation's photo biology committee, which tests |
| holding the steering wheel. I have heard (but not | | | | sunscreens for safety and effectiveness. |
| yet substantiated) that in countries where the | | | | “Using this scale to say a sunscreen offers |
| steering wheel is on the left side of car, skin | | | | good protection or bad protection is junk |
| cancer is more prevalent on the left side of the | | | | science.” |
| body, particularly the arm. Where the steering | | | | What I preferred was something to wear to |
| wheel is on the right side of the car, skin cancer is | | | | protect my hands and arms and my choice is sun |
| more prevalent on the right side of the body. | | | | gloves and a sun sleeve or sun sleeves. I have |
| I had never liked the idea or, frankly, the feeling | | | | found that sun gloves are useful for pretty much |
| slathering my skin with chemical sun screens. And | | | | any outdoor activity: fishing, hiking, cycling, |
| I always suspected that they were not quite as | | | | gardening or golf. Easy to slip on and off, versatile |
| effective as advertised. Indeed, several articles in | | | | UPF/SPF sun protection. |
| recent years point out that the SPF ratings are | | | | Take a look at an old angler's hands and you'll get |
| exaggerated and that in order to be effective, | | | | a pretty good idea of why sun gloves and sun |
| chemical sun screens have to be applied very | | | | sleeves are a good idea. Of course, there's |
| liberally and very often. For years, dermatologists | | | | always chemical sunscreen, but we already |
| have told us sunscreen protects skin. Now, many | | | | discussed the questionable effectiveness of it and |
| people are questioning that advice after an | | | | it tends to make slippery work of casting and line |
| environmental group challenged the sunscreen | | | | control, and who wants coconut-scented flies, |
| safety of many popular brands. | | | | anyway? The solution is a light, comfortable, |
| “Patients are confused,” said Dr. Darrell S. | | | | fingerless sun glove made from quick-drying, UPF |
| Rigel, a clinical professor of dermatology at New | | | | 50+ nylon/spandex fabric. Sun Gloves are easy to |
| York University who is a skin cancer researcher. | | | | wear and easy to slip on and off. Your hands will |
| “I’ve had patients come in and ask, | | | | thank you. |