Your Job and the Sun

You live in one of the most health and safety-conscious countries in the world. Laws are constantly being enacted to protect you from perceived dangers to reduce the potential of needless injury and death. Don’t you buckle your seat belts when you drive your car or wear your bicycle or motorcycle helmet to protect your head? Doesn’t your health club have cardio equipment, treadmills and vast array of machines, and experienced trainers? Why? The goal is obvious- to keep you healthy.

It doesn’t matter if you have an Adonis-like physique with six pack abs or one that looks like you have already had several six packs too many. There are common sense health issues that are often overlooked – your job and the sun.

Have you heard the expression that “everyone complains about the weather but no one does anything about it?” In a way, you can, by the steps you take to protect yourself from the sun’s rays on the weekend. Don’t you wear sunscreen when you go to the beach or relax under a beach umbrella because you’re trying to avoid a sunburn? What about your job?

Skin Damage

Your Derick dermatologists in Illinois near Arlington Heights, Barrington, Crystal Lake, and Elgin warn, the safety employed in your workplaces and job sites doesn’t always extend to your protection from the sun. If you are a construction worker (one of the worst offenders) you spend countless hours in the blazing sun, wearing your hard hat, safety glasses, and gloves. These are tools to keep things from piercing your body. What about the ultraviolet rays constantly piercing your skin? Landscapers and lawn maintenance crews are just as vulnerable. Even the policeman directing traffic is at risk of damaging his skin.

Any job keeping you outdoors for extended periods of time, increases your risk of skin damage from overexposure to the sun. Your dermatologist can advise a number of ways to reduce your exposure. Wearing a hat and taking periodic breaks in the shade will help. A more effective sun-fighting solution is still sunscreens.

Even a sunscreen with an SPF of only 16 provides some protection from the sun’s skin cancer-producing, ultraviolet rays. There are creams for your face and dry skin. For your sensitive skin, there are various sprays. If you are worried about your hairy chest, specialized gels can provide comfortable, lasting protection. Dermatologists recommend that your sunscreen have an SPF of at least 30.

Thousands of men and women will be diagnosed with skin cancer this year alone. It is important to consider the risk from the sun your outdoor job may present. Consider which of the protections is right for you. Follow your Derick dermatologist’s recommendations. Then go out there and safely enjoy your job in the sun.