Awareness is more than just protection

BY REBECCA A. WATSON

With spring in full swing, we’re spending more time outside.  The sun invites us outside with a promise of fun and adventure in a way that a cloudy February day just can’t accomplish.

How can you say no to such a beautiful sky?

It’s probably why Skin Cancer Awareness month falls this time of year. Being fair skinned and coming from a family that has a history of skin cancer, I know this is important, so I’m stepping it up a little this year.

Skipping the tanning booths and wearing appropriate sun protection, whether it be sunscreen or clothing with built in sun protection, are obvious ways to prevent sun damage. (Check out G4S’s sun protection post with Dermatologist Beth Schulz-Butulis for more on those topics.)

Being aware doesn’t just mean prevention. It also means detection. The Skin Cancer Association recommends a monthly, head-to-toe examination. If you can spot it, you can stop it, they say. After a few months, it’s only supposed to take about 10 minutes.

Download your own body map from the Skin Cancer Foundation

This is where I balk. I know I said I would take my skin cancer awareness up a notch, but it seems a little overwhelming. Marking all the moles I have on my body?!? If you’re a freckly sorta, I’m sure you can relate. This could take a while. *sigh*

But then I saw this. Have you?

I floss every day. Really. If I can develop that habit, I can develop this one. I’ve printed out the maps for both me and my hubby, and put a recurring event on the calendar.

If you don’t check yourself monthly, I invite you to make May your first check as well. Include your family too. If you’re already checking your skin, kudos to you! Keep up the great work!

Any tips or other ideas you want to share with us for Skin Cancer Awareness Month? We want to hear them. Comment on this post with your thoughts!

“Do you come from a land down under….

BY LEANNE SALANDRO

…where women glow and men plunder?” I have those lyrics and Australia on the brain. The first reason is, I thoroughly enjoyed a live show recently with Girls4Sport team rider Erin Alexander and we heard those lyrics live from Mr. Colin Hay himself. (You might know him better as “that guy” from Men At Work. Go see him if you get the chance!)

The second reason is, as our summer winds down here in the USA, the Australian summer season is just gearing up. I think that’s rather magical. As we’re inspecting tan lines, stowing our swimwear and sundresses, thinking of fall, our Australian counterparts are getting ready for a bevy of summer sports, many of them in and on the water—swimming, surfing, snorkeling, scuba diving, rafting and kayaking.

An amazingly huge and diverse country, there are so many locales and destinations to choose from. Check out this list of Australian destinations for water activities: http://www.letsgo.com/2745-asia_and_pacific-travel-guides-australia-outdoor_recreation-water_activities-c.

If you do decide to visit Australia, be sure to take your rashguards, board shorts, and plenty of sunscreen. The intense Australian sun and amazing array of outdoor fun has made the country number one for skin cancer. Don’t add yourself to the statistics. Girls4Sport‘s tested fabrics are rated at the maximum of SPF 65 and block at least 98% of UVA/UVB rays.

Be safe, have fun, and glow or plunder, whichever suits you best!

Talking Sun Protection with a Dermatologist

AN INTERVIEW WITH BETH SCHULZ-BUTULIS, DO

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. One in five Americans will develop skin cancer in the course of their lifetime, most of these a direct result of exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Of the different forms of skin cancer, melanoma is the most deadly. In the late 1990’s, one in 90 people would develop melanoma in their lifetime. In 2010, melanoma affected about one in 55 people. The incidence of melanoma continues to increase 4% to 6% annually.

Spring break is here. What do you recommend to your clients for sun-protection?

Sunscreen is always a staple for summer sun protection. My favorite sunscreen is Blue Lizard Baby, a chemical-free sunscreen, which I recommend for both adults and children. The active ingredients in this product are titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, which block both UVA and UVB. Another favorite is California Baby sunscreen – I really like the California Baby SPF 30 sunblock stick for quick reapplication of sunscreen under the eyes and on the nose.

I also recommend sun protective swimwear while engaging in activity at the beach, lake, or pool. It is important to make sure that the swimwear has an ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) label on it, ideally UPF 40 or higher – just using a regular T-shirt in the water will not give significant protection. For girls and women, I highly recommend Girls4Sport. Girls4Sport has a wide variety of stylish short and long sleeve swim tops, bottoms, and board shorts available with a UPF of 50.

Do you recommend staying out of the sun during the peak times, or it is OK if wearing the protection you recommend?

Ideally, you should stay out of the sun from 10am to 4pm and seek shade whenever possible. Obviously, during the summer this is not always possible. Sun protective swimwear, sun protective clothing, hats, and sunglasses help to reduce the damaging effects of the sun during these peak times. It is also key to reapply sunscreen to exposed areas per the manufacturer’s directions.

Is sun block/sunscreen (lotions) or sun-protective clothing better for sun-protection?

Sunscreen will always play a role in sun protection, since it isn’t practical to completely cover up with sun-protective clothing. However, sunscreen is expensive, and must be frequently reapplied to be effective. I recommend that people use sun protective clothing to the greatest extent that they can, since it provides constant protection. Sun-protective clothing is stylish and practical, and generally will cost much less than the sunscreen necessary to adequately protect the same area.

What about kids, anything more specific to protect their skin?

For children, I recommend long sleeve sun-protective shirts and board shorts or body suits for use in water. There are a lot of options out there now for kids – mine really like the board shorts and rash guards. I also recommend that parents try to use physical blockers (zinc and titanium dioxide) rather than using chemical blockers. The physical blockers give a broader coverage for UVA and UVB, and are generally better tolerated by kids’ sensitive skin.

We’re hearing that sun in small amounts is good for us to make vitamin D. What do you recommend?

Most of us get all the vitamin D we need through normal sun exposure during the course of a week. Additionally, the American Academy of Dermatology recommends a healthy diet, including foods naturally high in vitamin D, fortified foods and beverages, and if recommended by your doctor, vitamin supplements. There’s no need to be a hermit, but when engaging in extended outdoor activity during the summer, sun protection to avoid skin cancer and premature aging of the skin is the more pressing issue.

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Beth Schulz-Butulis, DO
Family Dermatology
Raleigh, NC

(Showing) Less Is More

BY LEANNE SALANDRO

When people ask me what I do for a living, they are often surprised to hear that I design and market clothing, specifically active wear providing a wide range of coverage for women. For the most part, we are in the market to offer more coverage versus less. You could say we sort of specialize in modesty.

First of all, people are surprised that I’m an everyday kind of person who designs clothes. It’s more of a high-dollar, fashion runway, Paris, Milan, big label occupation in most imaginations. For me, it’s not quite that glamorous. Enjoyable, but not glamorous.

After that, the surprise lingers around the fact that I would work hard on something involving the word “modesty” especially where the word “fashion” is concerned. People are often operating under the usually false misconception that confident women who are proud of their bodies want to show it off and wear revealing “sexy” outfits.

That may be true for some but, when you are engaged in a truly active endeavor like triathlon, surfing, windsurfing, kiteboarding, kayaking, etc. the last thing on your mind in the heat of the moment is, “do these shorts make my butt look too big”?

Sure, most of us like to look our best as much as possible but most female athletes are primarily concerned about actively enjoying or competing in their chosen sport comfortably. Performance is the priority, not the “hey, check me out” factor. Let’s face it, a little extra coverage actually keeps things nicely covered during rigorous activity and prevents impromptu peep shows of any, um, feminine assets. Furthermore, even the most gorgeously toned back and shoulders will suffer a scorching burn if unprotected all day in the sun kitesurfing. Not fun. Not pretty. Sun protection is serious stuff and even more so for female athletes who spend a lot of time outdoors. Extra coverage also gives the welcome bonus of skin protection.

The caveat here is we really do still want to look good and all this talk of modesty, serious sun protection and coverage engineered to fight physics starts conjuring up images of boring, utilitarian, “un-fun” fashion. Luckily, being too exposed was the “a-ha” moment for a fashion-loving person like myself.

After a particularly chilly surf session with my business partner Kim, we were changing out of our wetsuits and trying to preserve some modesty as we simultaneously wrangled neoprene and large towels with our stiff, cold fingers. We noticed some perv’ on a bicycle who kept riding back and forth past our vehicle… we’re talking five, maybe six, times obviously trying to catch a glimpse of something should a towel slip. I felt an emotional combo of anger and great amusement. How desperate do you have to be to catch a glimpse of the female form so that you’re compelled to ride your bike repeatedly past two, drenched, rumpled, middle-aged chicks struggling out of wetsuits? I can assure you that we were no visions of sexual loveliness as we were trying to get out of neoprene and into some warm, dry clothes. But I digress…

I decided that bottoms designed to coordinate with rashguards would be so great. That way, I could strip off my wetsuit and be covered. No need to fuss with towels! Just unzip and go about my business. Let’s go one step further and make such an ensemble fun and interesting.

In a nutshell, showing a little less really is more and it’s what we aim to deliver at Girls4Sport. Less revealing garments that provide more for the women wearing them. You get the benefits of sun protection and coverage, and (much to the chagrin of peep-tom cyclists everywhere) you also get the added allure of leaving a little something to the imagination.

Dermatologist Recommends Girls4Sport’s Sun-Protective Swimwear

Dr. Beth Schulz-Butulis, a board-certified dermatologist in North Carolina, recently spoke with Girls4Sport about why she wears Girls4Sport’s sun protective swimwear and recommends it to her patients.

How did you find Girls4Sport and why did you start wearing or recommending the brand?
I found Girls4Sport by Googling sun protective clothing.  As a dermatologist, I wanted to put together a list of websites my patients could go to for sun protective swimwear and clothing.  Because of my profession and knowledge about the consequences of chronic sun damage, it was logical to start wearing Girls4Sport sun protective swimwear.  I especially liked their shelf bra so that I didn’t get hot with a swim shirt over another bathing suit.  Additionally, I really liked the colors and fabrics used.

How does Girls4Sport’s sun-protective clothing make your active lifestyle easier or safer?
Girls4Sport offers their customers a wide range of options for sun protection.  They have sleeveless, short sleeve, 3/4 sleeve, and long sleeve sun-protective shirts with Ultraviolet Protective Factor (UPF) 50 built in.  These shirts also extend up to the neck for more sun protection.  Additionally, this company offers something different than their competitors which is the built in shelf bra.  Wearing these shirts in the summer allows me to enjoy more time in the sun without burning.  Additionally, with the use of my Girls4sport long sleeve shirts, I can avoid applying chemicals (sunscreen) all over my body and focus only on exposed areas like my face, ears, neck, hands, and legs.   Not only do I spend less time applying sunscreen, it is less cost overall to purchase the Girls4Sport suit than numerous bottles of sunscreen through the course of the summer.  With many of my patients concerned about the ramifications of the use of chemicals (to include sunscreen) on the bodies of their family, I like being natural and wearing swimwear with built in UPF to limit the amount of sunscreens that I must apply.

In the Caribbean there are many places that now prohibit sunscreen because they damage coral.  The Girls4Sport sun protective shirts allow people to swim and not burn in places where sunscreen is off limits!

Why do you recommend Girls4Sport’s sun-protective clothing to your patients?
I recommend it to my patients because I am a dermatologist.  I see many patients with skin cancers to include basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma.  These patients need options to allow them to continue enjoying the outdoors in safe manner while helping to decrease their chances of additional skin cancers.  Finally, I have many teenagers and young children in my clinic with parents who want to know how they can prevent sun damage in their children.  Sun protective swimwear and hats is mainstream in Australia and needs to be mainstream in our country too.  I recommend this product to all patients for the girls in their household or extended family.

How do you feel when wearing Girls4Sport’s clothing?
I have used these suits for 2 years now and I feel confident that I won’t burn (except on exposed areas) even when out all day in the Caribbean wearing these sun protective suits.  My favorite bottom is the hipster because it never rides up.  I like swimming in the ocean and in the pool and it is great for this purpose.  The fabrics used are very modern and stylish.  People ask me if the shirts are hot.  I don’t usually get hot in the shirts.  If I’m hot I simply get the shirt wet and by doing this I stay cool and comfortable until the shirt dries again.

Dr. Beth Schulz-Butulis is board certified by the American Board of Dermatology and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology.  She lives in North Carolina with her husband and two children.

Full-Coverage Swimwear Options

Girls4Sport Longsleeve Rash Guard and Board Shorts

Bikinis may still reign at the beach, but for women who want more coverage in a swimsuit, Girls4Sport has you covered.  We want women to feel comfortable going to beach or pool and jumping into the water—whether it’s to surf or swim or just splash around. So we’ve expanded our line of sporty, full-coverage, mix and match swim separates so that you can find the coverage that’s right for you.

Some of our more modest coverage options include long-sleeve and half-sleeve rash guard tops with built-in shelf bras.  The long sleeve top provides coverage from the neck to the wrist, while the half-sleeve top provides coverage from the collarbone to the elbow. Both tops are designed with extra length in the torso to keep from riding up and are made from a nylon/spandex fabric blend with a maximum sun-protection factor of UPF 50+. 

We also design loose-fitting ankle-length pants and extra-long board shorts that fall below the knee.  The pants and shorts are made from a soft, quick-drying sueded microfiber in solid colors to coordinate with the tops.  Another cute coverage option is our knee-length sport pants, which are cut similarly to yoga pants and are made from the same nylon/spandex blends as our swim tops.

Whether the reason is sun protection, religious orthodoxy, the need to cover a surgical scar, or just a desire for more modesty, you can find fashionable swimwear with the right amount of coverage at Girls4Sport.