Lack of sun savvy leaves students burnedBy Idan Ivri

By Idan Ivri
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
[email protected]

  MIKE CHIEN/Daily Bruin

Andrea Lisi, a first-year student, studies in the sun. UCLA
doctors warn that too much exposure to sun, at any age, can
contribute to the development of skin cancer.

Summer is in full swing, and for many students at UCLA, it means
only one thing ““ fun in the sun.

But before students put too much work into their summer tans,
sunbathers should know too much sun exposure ““ at any age
““ puts them at risk for developing skin cancer later on in
life.

“It’s a fact that many people get harmful sun
exposure during (their) youth,” said Dr. Michael Kolodney of
the UCLA Division of Dermatology.

Young people are at a high risk for skin damage because they
often spend time outdoors working, playing sports, or relaxing.
Coupled with the fact students usually don’t seek medical
help for repeated sunburns, and “It’s not uncommon to
see people (as early as their) thirties with skin cancer,”
Kolodney said.

Southern California is blessed with warm summer weather, which
encourages young people to begin tanning early in life.

Polly Averyt, 42, a Southern California native from Newport
Beach, has been living with skin cancer since childhood. She was
first diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma, a common form of skin
cancer, at age 13.

In her youth, Averyt sunburned and peeled many times, but
according to Averyt, the “risks were not known then, and tans
were complimented, (so) I felt better with a tan.”

After years of recurrences of the cancer, Averyt needed
extensive reconstructive surgery to her face to repair the damage
caused by removing tumors.

Luckily, her condition was not fatal. Basal cell carcinoma,
along with squamous cell carcinoma, are types of skin cancer that
are painful and uncomfortable to live with, but treatable.

“Generally, both basal cell and squamous cell cancers
don’t spread quickly, which makes them easier to
treat,” Kolodney said.

Eight hundred thousand new cases of BCC and 200,000 new cases of
squamous cell carcinoma affect Americans every year, according to
the Skin Cancer Foundation. These cancers occur in areas like the
face, neck, shoulders, arms, and especially around the lower lip
and ear.

Melanoma, the third and most dangerous type of skin cancer,
afflicts 51,000 Americans every year. If not treated early on,
melanoma can be fatal.

While most young people at UCLA may know about the risks of skin
cancer, many don’t always follow the medical guidelines to
avoid overexposure to the sun ““ sunscreen and shade.

“I usually wear sunscreen, but if I’m out all day,
sometimes I’ll only put it on once,” said Louis
Rigolosi, a fourth-year microbiology student.

Raffi Kalenderian, a fourth-year art student, sometimes forgets
to bring sunscreen and has to borrow from others.

While students often end up burning in the sun, they rarely seek
treatment.

Bettina Pedone, a nurse practitioner at the Arthur Ashe Student
Health and Wellness Center, said she sees few students from UCLA
campus seeking help or advice for sunburns.

“I’ve seen … maybe one or two this year,”
Pedone said.

Chris Lewis, a nurse practitioner specializing in dermatology at
the Ashe Center, agreed with Pedone. Except to get treatment for
the pain of the burn, students by and large do not come in to
inquire about the risks of cancer, Lewis said.

Students, who do go to use the Ashe Center’s dermatology
resources, can get full-body screen for skin damage and treatment
for severe sunburns.

If the condition of the skin is especially dangerous, the Ashe
Center will refer students to the UCLA Division of Dermatology for
medical attention.

In most cases, Lewis said, students burned as a result of not
using sunscreen. But simply applying sunscreen to avoid these
complications is not always enough, said Lewis.

“There’s a misconception about sunscreen,”
Lewis said. “If they (students) have it on, people stay out
in sun longer ““ so it’s no use.”

The rules of staying safe in the sun are the same today as they
were 25 years ago for Polly Averyt: apply sunscreen in advance, and
keep reapplying. Wear sunglasses, and avoid excessive sun exposure
between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

New treatments for skin damage have emerged in recent years, but
medicine still cannot reverse injury already inflicted.