How To Spread Sun Safety Knowledge To Your Patients

As a pharmacist, part of your job is to provide the best care and knowledge to each patient. With July being UV Awareness Month, this is an opportunity for you to practice advocacy by spreading sun safety education that could potentially save lives. As skin cancer rates continue to rise, it's important for everyone to understand how UVA and UVB radiation can negatively affect their health. In this blog post we'll discuss the steps you can take as a pharmacist to share knowledge with your patients about mitigating sun exposure in order to keep them safe and healthy.

UV Protection Methods

The first thing to educate your patients about is just how important sunscreen really is and how crucial reapplication is. Advise them to find a sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher that offers broad-spectrum coverage, and make sure they always reapply every two hours, especially when sweating or swimming.

Some other things to keep in mind about sunscreen include:

• For sensitive areas of the body, such as the nose, cheeks, tops of the ears, and shoulders, advise choosing a sunscreen with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide.
• Advise that if possible, avoid the sunscreen ingredient oxybenzone because of concerns about mild hormonal properties.
• Tell patients to put sunscreen on 15 to 30 minutes before going outdoors as it needs time to absorb into the skin.

Additionally, remind them to wear protective clothing like long -sleeved shirts, hats, and sunglasses when outdoors. Consider providing your patients with a list of recommended items to buy that offer UV protection such as sun-protective clothing or other products like umbrellas, sun shades, and window covers.

Staying Sun Safe Indoors

It's important to remind patients that UVA radiation is still present indoors, so windows can contribute to sun damage as well. Advise them to use window treatments like blinds or curtains and to keep the shades and drapes drawn during peak hours of sunlight exposure. Additionally, encourage them to watch for signs of skin damage such as tanning spots or moles that have changed in size or color.

The Importance of Sun Protection

At your pharmacy you have the unique opportunity to educate your patients about the dangers of too much sun exposure and how to keep their skin safe. It's crucial that patients understand that lack of sunscreen doesn't just result in a few sunburns. Sunburns are an indication that UV rays have caused skin damage, and melanoma can be a result of too much sun exposure. Encouraging patients to stay safe in the sun will not only keep them healthier, it may even save their lives.

Sun Safety Resources

Finally, it's important to provide your patients with resources that offer more information on the importance of sun safety. You can direct them to websites like The Skin Cancer Foundation or the American Academy of Dermatology which have helpful advice and resources about skin protection from UV rays.

By spreading sun safety education to your patients this UV Awareness Month, you are taking an important step in helping keep them safe and healthy. The more knowledge they have about the dangers of too much sun exposure, the better equipped they will be to make informed decisions that could protect their health for years to come.