You wear a helmet to protect your head. You wear sunglasses to protect your eyes from dust and dirt. You ride defensively to avoid careless drivers, kids, and dogs.
But more often than not, you, like many who enjoy bicycling, forget to put on your sunblock before you hit the roads and trails.
If you love cycling and want to enjoy it well into your senior years then protect yourself from the sun. That’s the advice for America’s 57 million bicyclists from a leading plastic and reconstructive surgeon who has treated thousands of patients over the course of his 15-year career for skin cancer and melanoma.
As the days grow longer and warmer, and the sun intensifies in it’s strength, cyclists need to take precautions against the sun’s harmful rays, says Dr. Sam Economou, who leads Plastic Surgery Consultants, Ltd. (www.plasticsurgeryconsultants.net), a Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery practice located in Edina, Minn., a suburb of Minneapolis.
The reason is simple. Skin cancer is on the rise. In fact, according to the American Cancer Society, more than 2 million cases of non-melanoma skin cancer are diagnosed each year. In addition, about 68,000 cases of melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer, are diagnosed yearly. While more people are detecting cancer earlier, increasing their chances of survival, cancer rates are actually rising, especially among young people who use tanning booths and those who do not use sunblock when working and playing outside.
Cycling is about spending time outdoors. And more often than not, most cyclists enjoy riding their bikes when the weather is nice and sunny. That puts many of America’s 57 million cyclists at risk for skin cancer, says Dr. Economou. The more time you spend outdoors cycling, the greater risk of exposure to harmful ultraviolet radiation and sunburns.
People who bicycle a lot have several strikes against them when it comes to skin cancer, notes Dr. Economou. Because many cyclists ride near their homes, they think they’re not at risk if they don’t put on sunblock — even for a short ride. The problem is that cyclists tend to expose more skin than other athletes because of the clothes they wear (shorts and short-sleeve shirts). In addition, many cyclists may not realize that water, sand, and asphalt streets reflect dangerous UV rays.
To help cyclists lower their risk of developing skin cancer, Dr. Economou offers these tips:
