by Dr. Ben Wiese Graeme Douglas - 2021 BCGSA Superintendent of the Year

Spring 2022

The big fuss is that one person dies from skin cancer every hour in North America. Despite the fact that more than 80,000 Canadians are diagnosed with skin cancer every single year, wide-spread attention is not given to simple methods of prevention. Melanoma has also become the most common type of cancer for youth between the ages of 15 to 29. So, do I have your attention now?

I was only 18 when my Dad was diagnosed with widespread kidney cancer. That wasn’t supposed to happen. Your parents are supposed to die when you’re ready, when they’re “old.” I can’t count the ways my life changed while supporting my Dad - extensive surgeries, chemotherapy, radiation and ultimately, “Sorry, there is nothing more that we can do.” Right then and there as a young medical student, I promised myself that I would be a different kind of physician. I would be more proactive in my approach to medicine. I wouldn’t become a part of the reactive norm.

I am Dr. Ben Wiese. My wife, Dr. Lize Wiese, and I are Primary Care Skin Cancer Physicians helping patients manage their skin cancers across British Columbia from our clinic in Kelowna. We are strong advocates for prevention and work every single day to create skin cancer awareness throughout Canada.

The first question patients always ask me is usually something about sunscreen. The short answer is YES, it does work, and YES it does prevent skin cancer, but that is not the whole story. Your focus should be on respecting the largest organ of your body – your skin. Taking care of your skin is no exception compared to your heart, lungs, liver or brain. When you abuse any of your organs, you are not going to feel or be the best you can be. And, as an added bonus, healthy skin is beautiful skin.

Physical sunscreens are made of crushed minerals that do not get absorbed into your skin. Common ingredients found in physical sunscreens would be titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, important minerals that reflect and refract UV radiation away from the skin.This type of sunscreen is for people who like the idea that nothing gets absorbed into the skin. If you’re not a fan of the white residue created by physical sunscreens, I encourage you to check out tinted sunscreens, they are a gamechanger.

Chemical sunscreens are more commonly available and are easily absorbed by the skin.They typically will have ingredients like Oxybenzone and Avobenzone that absorb UV light. These sunscreens soak into the skin without leaving any residue. Despite speculation, there is also no medical evidence that these sunscreens cause cancer.

Spring 2022

However, when it comes to keeping yourself protected from UV exposure - clothing, specifically UPF clothing, is your best option. UPF is the UV protection rating for items of clothing. This type of clothing is specifically manufactured with minerals like zinc and titanium infused right into the fabric fibres. UPF clothing is comfortable, breathable and acts as wearable broad-spectrum sunscreen that you don’t have to reapply over and over.

An average white cotton T-shirt has a UPF rating of only 5-7 while most UPF clothing have ratings of 50+. If you’re trying to remember a time you ‘burned through your shirt’ - you’re not alone. This is where the difference between UVA and UVB plays a role and should be taken into consideration, especially for children or those with a higher risk for skin cancers.

UVB is the damaging UV light that causes us to get sunburn, luckily regular clothing blocks UVB out quite well. What most of us forget about is UVA light, which penetrates much deeper into the skin and can easily penetrate regular clothing and windows. UVA damages the skin’s DNA, which contributes to skin cancer formation over time. The dangers of ongoing UVA exposure makes wearing UPF clothing a comfortable and low-effort way to keep yourself safe every day, especially if you spend a lot of time outdoors.

What’s also incredibly important is knowing your personal risk for skin cancer. Are you blond, fair-skinned, and have over 50 moles? If so, visit the Kelowna Skin Cancer Clinic website and use the Melanoma risk assessment tool to get your personalized risk score.

If you are fair, with some red pigment in your hair, more than 100 freckles and/or moles or if you have a family history of skin cancer, it’s very likely you are considered high risk for developing skin cancer. You should:

1. Cover as much of your skin with UPF clothing as possible. We recommend clothing from Coolibar and Billabong - both are available online in styles for men, women, kids & baby from Canadian UPF clothing company UVwise. com. 2. Alumier EverActive Vitamin C & E Serum is a high potency topical antioxidant, protecting the skin against oxidative stress. The uniqueness of this product is that you always have a fresh, non-oxidized serum that you can activate yourself.

3. Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen 30-45 SPF daily on the areas not covered by clothing. My personal preference is Alumier’s medicalgrade Clear Shield Sunscreen, available for online order from Revive Skincare.

4. Seek the shade from 11am – 4 pm, when the UV index is highest.

5. Eat oily fish like Salmon, 2-3x per week. Supplementing with Omega oils does not help, sorry.

6. Take Niacinamide/TruNiagen. High doses have shown to reduce the risk of skin cancer by up to 30%. TruNiagen is available for order at UVwise.com

If you have anything on your skin that is new, changing, non-healing or concerning, make sure to see your family physician as soon as possible.

Are you going to be part of the next 80,000 Canadians with skin cancer this year, or are you going to be the one stepping up and out for change? I know we can do it!

UVwise.com is happy to offer 30% off for all BCGSA members. Use the code: BCGSA30 at checkout when purchasing any UPF 50+ clothing, accessories, skincare or vitamins.

More info at the following links:

or talk to your healthcare provider.