Summer Health


Dr. Lance Lincoln is a physician with Lincoln-Paden Medical Group, 405 Buttercup Dr., Mountain Home. Lincoln has more than 30 years of experience and spoke to Living Well about safety and health issues that arise in summer.


Q. Is it true we should wear sunscreen every day? If so, what is the minimum SPF level?


A. If you’re going to be outside for 10 minutes or more you should wear sunscreen or SPF protective clothing. I like fly fisherman shirts with SPF 30. You need some sun exposure to generate vitamin D, but 10 minutes is enough and then you need sun projection.


Q. What should you wear for prolonged exposure, such as a day on the lake?


A. There are two broad groups of sunscreen, the everyday protection like a lotion with sunscreen in it for when you are just sitting outside, but if you are active you need to use a sports style that is white and thick. They are not perfect and you want to reapply often, every couple of hours.


SPF 30 is the least you should use. The heavier SPF has not been shown to have longer benefits and after SPF 50, the extra benefits are null and void because you sweat some off.


You should be reapplying every couple of hours which is why I don’t recommend the sunscreen and bug repellent combination. By definition you should apply sunscreen often, which is not the case with bug repellent, and you can get too much bug repellent with those products.


Long exposure may be the best case for using lightweight clothing with SPF. Columbia, REI, Tilly all make clothing that is lightweight and SPF 30. You want to wear a hat and want the brim to be high, so even if the sun hits from behind, the neck is still covered. The bigger


4 Living Well i July/August 2017


Q&A


the brim the better. Sombreros are not in style but they will do the job.


Q. Does the SPF level needed vary by skin type?


A. Not really. Darker skin is by nature more tolerant of sun, but there are some negatives of being out in sunlight. Sun exposure and cigarettes are the biggest causes of wrinkling. People think it’s age, but it’s actually sun exposure and cigarettes. Everyone should be applying sunscreen. Fair skin, blonde or red-haired people, every time you have blister and peel you increase chances for melanoma. You should wear sunscreen, SPF protective clothing and a hat.


Q. What age should we start wearing sunscreen?


A. Generally up to age 2, we recommend zinc oxide ointment, but once they are 2, you want to do sunscreen. The zinc oxide is gentler on their skin and stays on longer.


Q. If you happen to get a sunburn, what should you do for it?


A. Once you get a burn, that ship has sailed. Vinegar and water mist helps, Tylenol or ibuprofen. It will go through the whole cycle of healing and peeling. It’s a pain, but you can use over-the-counter remedies. Blisters are a second-degree burn. It’s a solar burn. Don’t open them. Let them heal naturally. If you blister, you are spending too much time in the sun.


Q. Let’s talk about hydration. Should a person increase fluids


Dr. Lance Lincoln


WITH DR. LANCE LINCOLN


when they are out in the sun whether it’s to mow the yard or go out on the lake?


A. Yes. I am in the Wilderness Medical Society which is a national society, and the biggest issue I see is dehydration. It will force you to a doctor. If you know you are going to go outside start hydrating before you go outside. If you are gardening, golfing, and mowing, you need both hands and don’t drink as much. You are fixated on the activity and then later start looking around and saying ‘I just don’t feel good.’ To catch up, you need to curtail your activity, get out of the sun and drink water.


Lake people, if they get overheated, they get in the lake. Golf, you don’t have that luxury and golf courses are out in the open and there is no shade. Often people will have a few beers and alcohol makes you urinate, and alcohol and sunny days outside do not mix.


Q. What is the difference between heat stroke and heat exhaustion?


A. Medically we use temperature for one or the other, but that is not helpful if you are outside. You become heat exhausted first, and if that is not treated, you will develop heat stroke. With heat exhaustion, you have profuse


sweating, headache and nausea. Heat stroke is when you are now unable to generate sweat, so temperature rises quickly. They are cooking from inside. Get them in air conditioning, at very least in the shade. Start hydrating them immediately. That is a 911 condition. Douse them with water and seek immediate medical


attention. Heat stroke is an ER issue, but I see heat


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