Sun Damage Facts

Summer is here again and caution must be taken in regards to sun exposure.

* Daily exposure to the sun over a lifetime is a major cause of skin damage, including wrinkling and skin cancer.

* Any tan indicates skin damage: the deeper the color of the tan the more extensive the skin damage.

* Sunscreens with high SPF numbers may provide less than full protection, because SPF addresses only the UVB spectrum.

* Sunlight coming through a window can damage your skin.

* Every year, more than a million people in the United States get skin cancer. It is the most common form of cancer with rates growing three to five percent annually. Left untreated, skin cancer may be life threatening. * Melanoma is 100% preventable.

Common Misconceptions

Any tan indicates skin damage: the deeper the color of the tan the more extensive the skin damage.

* An SPF of 45 may not necessarily be more potent than an SPF of 30 because the SPF as a measure only addresses the UVC wavelength. SPF does not indicate the products' UVA protection capability. It should be noted that until quite recently, UVA waves were thought to be harmless, thus our current rating system of SPF numbers addressed only UVB.

* No official rating system yet exists for UVA protection. So, even if you use a high SPF number sunscreen, you may still be unwillingly vulnerable to skin damage from the sun's UVA rays.

It is important to know that even casual exposure to sunlight, while driving your car, walking to the store, or even taking an outdoor break is incrementally contributing to our cumulative lifetime radiation exposure resulting in skin damage.

While most people benefit from sunscreens with high sun protection factor (SPF), it must be understood that the SPF number indicates how long you can remain in the sun before burning, a function of the UVB wavelength of light. However, protecting your skin from burning is only one type of damage, any level of tanning indicates photo-damage, leading to wrinkling, skin cancer, and aging. SPF does not indicate protection from UVA, visible light, or infrared waves.

DRUGS KNOWN TO CAUSE PHOTOALLERGIC, PHOTOSENSITIVE AND PHOTOTOXIC REACTIONS

PHOTOALLERGIC REACTION:

CHLOROTHIAZIDE, ENOXACIN, ESTROGENS, FENOFIBRATE HYDROCHLOROTHIAZIDE, IBUPROFEN, IMIPRAMINE, INDOMETHACIN, ITRACONAZOLE, METHOXSALEN, NALIDIXIC ACID, PENTOBARBITAL, PHENOBARBITAL, PIROXICAM, PROMAZINE, PROMETHAZINE, PSORALENS,QUINETHAZONE, QUINIDINE, QUININE, SULFISOXAZOLE, THIORIDAZINE, TOLBUTAMIDE, TRIOXSALEN.

PHOTOSENSITIVITY:

ACETAZOLAMIDE, ACETOHEXAMIDE, ALDESLEUKIN, ALLOPURINOL, ALPRAZOLAM, AMANTADINE, AMILORIDE, AMINOSALICYLATE SODIUM, AMIODARONE, AMITRIPTYLINE, AMOBARBITAL, AMOXAPINE, ASTEMIZOLE, ATENOLOL, ATORVASTATIN, ATROPINE SULFATE, AZATHIOPRINE, AZITHROMYCIN.

BENAZEPRIL, BENDROFLUMETHIAZIDE, BENZTHIAZIDE, BENZTROPINE, BETAXOLOL, BISOPROLOL, BROMPHENIRAMINE, BUMETANIDE, BUTABARBITAL, BUTALBITAL.

CAPTOPRIL, CARBAMAZEPINE, CARISOPRODOL, CARTEOLOL, CEFAZOLIN, CEFTAZIDIME, CELECOXIB, CERIVASTATIN, CETIRIZINE, CHLORAMBUCIL, CHLORDIAZEPOXIDE, CHLORHEXIDINE, CHLOROQUINE, CHLOROTHIAZIDE, CHLOROTRIANISENE, CHLORPROMAZINE, CHLORPROPAMIDE, CHLORTHALIDONE, CINOXACIN, CIPROFLOXACIN, CITALOPRAM, CLEMASTINE, CLOFAZIMINE, CLOFIBRATE, CLOMIPRAMINE, CLORAZEPATE, CLOZAPINE, CO-TRIMOXAZOLE, CROMOLYN, CYCLAMATE, CYCLOBENZAPRINE, CYCLOTHIAZIDE, CYPROHEPTADINE.

DACARBAZINE, DANAZOL, DANTROLENE, DAPSONE, DEMECLOCYCLINE, DESIPRAMINE, DIAZOXIDE, DICLOFENAC, DIFLUNISAL, DILTIAZEM, DIMENHYDRINATE, DIPHENHYDRAMINE, DISOPYRAMIDE, DOCETAXEL, DOXEPIN, DOXYCYCLINE.

ENALAPRIL, ENOXACIN, EPOETIN ALFA, ESTAZOLAM, ESTROGENS, ETHACRYNIC ACID, ETHAMBUTOL, ETHIONAMIDE, ETODOLAC.

FELBAMATE, FENOFIBRATE, FLUCYTOSINE, FLUOROURACIL, FLUOXETINE, FLUPHENAZINE, FLURBIPROFEN, FLUTAMIDE, FLUVASTATIN, FLUVOXAMINE, FOSINOPRIL, FURAZOLIDONE, FUROSEMIDE.

GANCICLOVIR, GENTAMICIN, GLIMEPIRIDE, GLIPIZIDE, GLYBURIDE, GLYCOPYRROLATE, GOLD & GOLD COMPOUNDS, GREPAFLOXACIN, GRISEOFULVIN.

HALOPERIDOL, HEROIN, HYDRALAZINE, HYDROCHLOROTHIAZIDE, HYDROFLUMETHIAZIDE, HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE, HYDROXYUREA, HYDROXYZINE.

IBUPROFEN, IMIPRAMINE, INDAPAMIDE, INTERFERONS, ALFA ISOCARBOXAZID, ISONIAZID, ISOTRETINOIN.

KANAMYCIN, KETOCONAZOLE, KETOPROFEN.

LAMOTRIGINE, LEUPROLIDE, LEVOFLOXACIN, LINCOMYCIN, LISINOPRIL, LOMEFLOXACIN, LORATADINE, LOSARTAN, LOXAPINE, MAPROTILINE, MECLIZINE, MECLOFENAMATE, MEDROXYPROGESTERONE, MEFENAMIC ACID, MEPROBAMATE, MERCAPTOPURINE, MESALAMINE, MESORIDAZINE, METFORMIN, METHAZOLAMIDE, METHENAMINE, METHOTREXATE, METHOXSALEN, METHYCLOTHIAZIDE, METHYLDOPA, METHYLPHENIDATE, METOLAZONE, MINOCYCLINE, MIRTAZAPINE, MITOMYCIN, MOEXIPRIL, MOLINDONE.

NABUMETONE, NALIDIXIC ACID, NAPROXEN, NARATRIPTAN, NEFAZODONE, NIFEDIPINE, NISOLDIPINE, NITROFURANTOIN, NORFLOXACIN, NORTRIPTYLINE.

OFLOXACIN, OLANZAPINE, ORAL CONTRACEPTIVES, OXYTETRACYCLINE.

PAROXETINE, PENTOBARBITAL, PENTOSAN, PENTOSTATIN, PERPHENAZINE, PHENELZINE, PHENINDAMINE, PHENOBARBITAL, PIMOZIDE, PIROXICAM, POLYTHIAZIDE, PRAVASTATIN, PROCARBAZINE, PROCHLORPERAZINE, PROCYCLIDINE, PROMAZINE, PROMETHAZINE, PROPRANOLOL, PROTRIPTYLINE, PSORALENS, PYRIDOXINE, PYRILAMINE, PYRIMETHAMINE.

QUETIAPINE, QUINACRINE, QUINAPRIL, QUINESTROL, QUINETHAZONE, QUINIDINE, QUININE.

RAMIPRIL, RANITIDINE, RIBAVIRIN, RILUZOLE, RISPERIDONE, RITONAVIR, ROFECOXIB, ROPINIROLE.

SACCHARIN, SAQUINAVIR, SCOPOLAMINE, SELEGILINE, SERTRALINE, SILDENAFIL, SIMVASTATIN, SODIUM CROMOGLYCATE, SPARFLOXACIN, SPIRONOLACTONE, STREPTOMYCIN, SULFADIAZINE, SULFADOXINE, SULFAMETHOXAZOLE, SULFASALAZINE, SULFISOXAZOLE, SULINDAC, SUMATRIPTAN.

TACROLIMUS, TERBINAFINE, TERFENADINE, TETRACYCLINE, THIOGUANINE, THIORIDAZINE, THIOTHIXENE, TIAGABINE, TIMOLOL, TIOPRONIN, TOLAZAMIDE, TOLBUTAMIDE, TOPIRAMATE, TORSEMIDE, TRANYLCYPROMINE, TRAZODONE, TRIAMTERENE, TRIAZOLAM, TRICHLORMETHIAZIDE, TRIFLUOPERAZINE, TRIHEXYPHENIDYL, TRIMEPRAZINE, TRIMETHADIONE, TRIMETHOPRIM, TRIMETREXATE, TRIMIPRAMINE, TRIOXSALEN, TRIPELENNAMINE, TRIPROLIDINE, TROVAFLOXACIN.

VALPROIC ACID, VALSARTAN, VENLAFAXINE , VERAPAMIL, VINBLASTINE, VITAMIN A.

ZALCITABINE, ZALEPLON, ZOLMITRIPTAN, ZOLPIDEM.

PHOTOTOXIC REACTION:

ACITRETIN, ALPRAZOLAM

VINBLASTINE.