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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Cancer / September 2006

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Sun sensitivity and chemotherapy

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J - 26 Sep 2006 11:41 GMT
Your skin will be more sensitive to the sun. This can result in severe
sunburn or rash. Sun sensitivity can be long lasting even after the
chemotherapy is completed.
What to do: Avoid long exposure to the sun especially during the hours of
10am to 2pm (this time varies depending on where you are or the season or
your skin). While in the sun wear protective clothing, sunglasses and a
wide brimmed hat. [from a longer and older article at oncolink]

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  _  _ _ _ _ _ _
Some notes:
I'm not an expert - so follow your doctor's advice.
Don't forget that UV can be a problem, even on overcast days, or reflect
off snow, off ice, off water (and maybe even off sand).
The following article seems to say that most people have adequate clothing
in their wardrobes.
Friends of mine order (some of) the special sun sensitive clothing and/or
items. It can be more expensive.
Some items on the web sites (below) may be of interest to you.
I have no personal experience with any of the items nor the websites, nor
any financial affiliation with any of them.

**** Skinceuticals SPF 30 is good if you want sunblock and moisture
without perfumes or other irritants. This is the only skinceutical product
that does not have vitamins (at this time) so it is unlikely to irritate
sensitive skin. http://www.skinceuticals.co.uk/  There's also a
www.skinceuticals.com/  I'm not advocating this product. It's YOUR
responsibility to find out what ingredients are listed in each of their
products and whether they're safe to use (for you) and/or before, during
or after radiation therapy.

Don't assume you can wear any of the clothing during scans. The MRI
technician, where I went, scrutinized everything I was wearing.

So FWIW (for what it's worth)
J
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http://www.msu.edu/~aslocum/sun/protectclothing.htm
Clothing
A number of factors need to be considered in choosing clothing as a
first-line sun protective tool (Lowe, 1995; Davis, 1997).  Careful
selection of fabrics is important to achieve a sun protection factor (SPF)
of at least 15.  The SPF of a fabric indicates how much longer a person
wearing the fabric can stay out in the sun before reddening of the skin
occurs in comparison to an unprotected person.  The ideal fabric would be
one that is completely opaque to UV transmission and with spaces between
the yarns in the fabric small enough not to allow for any significant
transmission.  The effectiveness of a fabric in protecting against UV
radiation involves a complex set of factors.  These include:

   * Weave--fabric construction is the main factor affecting transmission
of UV rays.  Loose weaves of fabric allow more transmission of rays
thorugh the clothing to the body underneath than more closely woven
fabrics.
   * Color--darker-colored fabrics transmit less UV rays, thus they block
more radiation than the lighter-colored ones.
   * Weight--plays a lesser role than weave, in that lightweight closely
woven fabrics often provide higher UV protection than heavy weight but
coarsely woven fabrics.
   * Fiber--In a controlled laboratory study polyester provided more
protection than cotton, linen, acetate, and rayon fabrics of similar
construction (Davis, 1997).
   * Laundry--washing fabrics increases their protectiveness because
shrinkage and the loosening of fiber ends creates a tighter weave.
   * Further, the UV protectiveness of a fabric during use depends on
overall quality of fabric, stretch, and wet versus dry condition
(Curiskis, 1996).

Although there are many variables involved in the protectiveness of a
garment, the real issue is to cover as much skin surface as possible.
Summer clothing designs tend to emphasize light, airy appearances with
more skin exposure.  Although many people know the value of covering their
body while exposed to UV rays, they do not cover up because they believe
it will make them too warm or restrict their movement.

Speciality Garments
Fabrics are now being engineered to maximize the amount of UV protection
they provide and are used to make "solar protective" garments, hats, and
parasols (Capjack, 1994).  Special solar protective clothing, with trade
names like Solumbra® and Solarweave® offer high UV protection, do not seem
to degrade with dampness and are a convenient way to achieve a reduction
of UV-radiation reaching the skin.

These garments are made mainly of nylon, woven very tightly to stop light
penetration and have fibers that have a coating that is supposed to absorb
ultraviolet light (Lowe, 1995; Consumer Report 1998).  These products may
be of special interest for persons who are sun sensitive or have certain
medical conditions. "Kathryn Hatch, a textile expert at the University of
Arizona, calls special clothing 'excellent' for certain people.  Among
them, are those who have been diagnosed with skin cancer or have a family
history of the disease.

Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy (which increases sun sensitivity),
and hikers who will be out all day, especially at high altitudes where the
thin atmosphere imposes less of a barrier to UV rays" (Comarow, 1999).
Specialized garments are, however, expensive in comparison to "regular"
clothing of similar design. Thermal comfort may also be a concern as it is
when using clothing of "regular" fabrics to cover more of the skin surface
(Capjack, 1994).

Summary
With everything taken into consideration, any clothing selection that you
can make that covers as much as possible, is structured out of tightly
constructed fibers (such as polyester), has a very tight weave and is dark
in color will give the maximum protection available with "normal"
clothing. Essentially, must of us probably have adequate clothing choices
in our wardrobes; we just need to make wise selections based in order to
improve protection.  And remember to wear a hat.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  _  _ _ _ _ _ _

Sun Protective Clothing
[Note: For sunblocks, ask your specialist.]

http://www.sunprecautions.com  Sun Precautions a.k.a. Solumbra. One of the
larger selections of sun protective clothing.

http://www.sunprotectiveclothing.com . A Canadian manufacturer with
reasonable costs and moderate selection of styles.

http://www.sunclothingetc.com  You will find great sun protective clothing
and accessories here at our store to meet all of your sun protection
needs.

http://www.sungrubbies.com UV Protection for Outdoor Living - also
includes umbrellas, gloves, sun tents, water wear, cover-ups, fabrics by
the yard.

http://www.sunproof.com Sun Proof.

http://www.uvclothing.com

http://www.stingray.com.au Stingray full-coverage swimwear (Australia)

http://www.sunshell.com Sun Shell swim wear (Australia)

http://www.kakadookids.co.uk/  UK - sun protective UV clothing for your
family

http://www.solartex.com/   Solartex Sun Gear, Inc. was formed by 2 moms,
Lisa and Laurie, to promote child safety products that make life easier
for parents. Solartex features cool, comfortable, chemical-free 50+SPF
sun-protective swimwear, activewear and hats for children  and adults. We
also offer the only U.S. Coast Guard approved swimwear personal flotation
device (PFD) for kids.
J - 26 Sep 2006 12:00 GMT
Apologies...

> http://www.uvclothing.com

does not work - I replaced it with some others.
J
 
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