[Unidentified Female:] Before the break, we asked, are tanning beds safer than the sun? The answer no tan is safe. Tanning beds provide high doses of UVA, which can penetrate into the deeper layers of your skin, and damage your skin's immune system.
[Gupta:] All right. By now you've heard how damaging the sun can be to your skin, but the season is no picnic for your skin for other reasons as well. Elizabeth Cohen is back to guide us through the dangers of summer from bugs to poisonous plants.
[Cohen:] The shining rays of summer, we all know how dangerous they can be. Skin cancer will kill almost 8,000 Americans this year. And many dermatologists say they're seeing more cases among children and teens. But you can protect yourself and have fun in the sun.
[Jim Morelli, Registered Pharmacist:] Three things you want to do when you go out in the sun. Number one, wear protective clothing. Number two, always wear a sun block. And finally, if you can, try to avoid the sun between the hours of 10:00 and 4:00. That's really when the rays are the strongest.
[Cohen:] Another summertime issue, bug bites. Mosquitoes can transmit West Nile virus or encephalitis. Lower your risk by wearing long sleeves and light colored clothes, and staying inside at dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are active.
[Morelli:] Well, insect repellents are pretty much indispensable this time of year. Most of those on the market do contain Deet, which is a very effective product, but it's not for everybody. Namely, it's not for children under the age of 2 months.
[Cohen:] For those looking for more options, the government is recommending two new alternatives to Deet. Picaridin, a man-made, odorless repellent and oil of a lemon eucaplyptus, which is plant based, both offer effective protection from mosquitoes that can carry West Nile Virus. If the mosquitoes do bite, ice and Calamine lotion can help relieve pain and itching.
[Morelli:] Now if you get a rash and you know you've been bitten by a tick, or suspect you've been bitten by a tick, you do want to call your doctor, because tick bites can lead to serious illness.
[Cohen:] Each year, more than 10 million Americans suffer reactions to poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac. You can prevent an allergic reaction if you immediately remove all clothes and shoes that have touched the plant, wash your skin with soap and water, apply rubbing alcohol with cotton balls to the parts of the skin that are affected, and rinse yourself with water. Most of the bites and burns of summer can be treated at home, but if a problem lingers, you should talk to your doctor. Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, Atlanta.
[Gupta:] All right, Elizabeth. Thanks. A new survey by the American Academy of Dermatology found this. About 80 percent of teenagers surveyed know that tanning and getting sunburns can lead to skin cancer. Yet 60 percent of them got sunburned just last summer. That's frightening, considering studies show getting five or more sunburns doubles your risk for skin cancer. Helping us get the message through to all of our sun worshipers is Dr. Erica Brownfield. She's an internist at Grady Memorial Hospital here in Atlanta. Let's get back to some of our questions from our viewers because this is an important subject suntans, and sunburns, and possible skin cancer as well. Jeff from Maryland asked this question. "I have two sons ages 10 and 14, who are very active outdoors. They use SPF-30 sport sunscreen. Should they reapply the sunscreen if they're out for prolonged periods [4 or more hours], and if so, when? You know, people talk about reapplication. And I got to admit, it is a little bit confusing. How often to you reapply? How much sunscreen should you put on? What would you tell him?
[Brownfield:] Well first let me say, congratulations that you're using the SPF-30. It is important to reapply sunscreen. It's difficult to remember sometimes, but you want to try to reapply it every 1 12 to 2 hours. Anytime you go swimming, you want to apply it afterwards. And any time you do any kind of exertional activity, where you're sweating a lot, you want to reapply it at that time as well.
[Gupta:] Protective clothing, is that something valuable as well?
[Brownfield:] It is. A lot of people wear white colored clothing in the summertime, because it keeps them cool. And actually, if you look at white color, it only gives you an SPF factor of about 3.
[Gupta:] Really?
[Brownfield:] So it doesn't really protect you. It doesn't scatter the rays and the UV light.
[Gupta:] All right.
[Brownfield:] So you want to do light colored clothing.
[Gupta:] If you can do this really quickly, explain to people what SPF means?
[Brownfield:] So SPF stands for sun protection factor. And it basically, the lower the number, the less you are protected against the UV light. The higher the number, the more protected you are.
[Gupta:] All right, and so you said 30. You said you were happy that they were wearing 30? Is that your number?
[Brownfield:] Thirty is good. Anything above 15 is recommended. I think what people forget is to apply it to areas they may not remember. So their lips, thinning or balding hair, the tips of the ears and the nose.
[Gupta:] Why are you looking at me when you said that?
[Brownfield:] I didn't! So you just want to apply to areas that you may not remember in general.
[Gupta:] All right, let's get to another question. Now keep on topic here. Tracy in New Hampshire asks this. "How can parents keep children from getting bitten by mosquitoes? And if they are bitten, what is the best way to treat the bite?" Kids hate mosquito bites. Everyone hates mosquito bites. So what do you recommend?
[Brownfield:] Well first of all, the peak sun hours that you want to avoid are actually different times for when the mosquitoes are around. So peak mosquito biting time is from dusk to dawn. So even though it's safe to go out from a sun perspective, it's not safe to go out as far as mosquito bites. So the first thing is go out when mosquitoes are not around. Second of all, you want to wear protective clothing. So long sleeves, long pants, socks. And then using these chemicals, insect repellants that they just mentioned that also contain Deet.
[Gupta:] OK, and you know, we've talked a lot about West Nile previously. And people get concerned about that with mosquito bites. What is your recommendation now as summer comes along? Anything specific regarding West Nile?
[Brownfield:] Well, I think it's very important to remember we hear about West Nile virus and we all get very concerned. But remember that 80 percent of people who get infected with West Nile virus actually do not have any symptoms at all. So if you're a healthy adult, you really probably don't need to worry about it. And what you need to worry about are the warning signs that you have a serious case of a West Nile virus. And these are, if you're known you've gotten bitten by a mosquito, you need to look out for things like headache, confusion, a rash, fever, again, greater than 101.5, atypical symptoms that you might get from a normal mosquito bites. And again, if you have any weakened immune system, you're older or younger, and you have any of these, you need to be more concerned. But remember that most people do not get sick from it.
[Gupta:] OK. We're getting good advice from Dr. Erica Brownfield. Coming up on HOUSECALL, the inside scoop for a safe cookout. Stay tuned.
[Unidentified Male:] You don't have to be a mathematician to be a good grill expert, but you've got to remember the right temperature.
[Unidentified Female:] Grilling to perfection. We'll show you how, just ahead on HOUSECALL. But first, more of this week's medical headlines in "The Pulse."
[Christy Feig, Cnn Correspondent:] Every year, about 1 million Americans get an extremely painful rash known as shingles, but new research may offer hope. A study in "The New England Journal of Medicine" found an experimental vaccine reduces the risk of the condition by half. And those in the study who got the vaccine and still got shingles got a much milder case. The study was funded in part by the maker of the experimental vaccine. And new research shows loving your body may be the key to weight loss. A new study in "The Journal of the American Dietetic Association" says instead of trying fad diets, obese women who changed their eating habits and accepted their bodies improved their long-term health. Researchers found non-dieters focused more on feelings of hunger and fullness and not on calorie consumption, leading to improvements in cholesterol levels, blood pressure and self-esteem. Christy Feig, CNN.