<image="1" align="left" />Courtesy: PGATOUR.COM
Australians might be heading into the peak of winter, but the message is no less relevant than in the sizzling heights of the Australian summer.
Once dubbed one of the world’s sexiest men by People magazine, Adam Scott looked a bit more garish after a procedure in 2011 to remove a Basil Cell Carcinoma, a form of non-melanoma skin cancer, from his face.
“It looked like I’d been in a bar fight,” says Scott, who received nearly 30 stitches and still has a scar on his nose from the surgery. “But the procedure made me less lazy with applying sun protection because it was quite painful to have it removed.
“I’m just trying to be as responsible as I can because I don’t want my whole body hacked up by the time I’m an old man.”
Scott is hardly alone when it comes to skin cancer in his native country.
Australia has the dubious honour of being known as the skin cancer capital of the world with nearly 750,000 Australians affected each year — roughly 2,000 die on an annual basis.
He is not alone on the PGA TOUR, either.
A number of players have had varying degrees of battles with skin cancer. Being out in the sun as much as eight hours a day is an occupational hazard.
Rory Sabbatini, Brian Davis and Australian Aron Price, among others, have all battled the disease that will affect more than one in five Americans (and one in three Caucasians) in a lifetime.
“You don’t realize how much damage you are doing because we’re out here for an extended period of time,” said Sabbatini, who in 2010 had a squamous cell carcinoma removed from his face. The surgeon dug one millimeter deep and another millimeter wide to remove the growth.
“A lot of golfers I think it’s an afterthought,” Sabbatini added.
Most have been able to catch it early, but not all.
Price had three non-melanoma cancers removed before a fourth mole had to be taken out a couple of years ago. It was discovered to be melanoma, the deadliest of all skin cancers.
“Golfers spend a significant amount of time outdoors so they’re definitely at a higher risk than the average person,” says Dr. Anokhi Jambusaria-Pahlajani, a dermatologist at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. “We see a lot of golfers and tennis players. They have signs of more damage than the average patient and it manifests itself at an earlier age.”
But simply putting on sunscreen often isn’t enough.
“I tell everybody, I recommend sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher and with both UVA and UVB protection,” Dr. Jambusaria-Pahlajani said. “It should be applied all over the body to anything that’s exposed and reapplied ideally every 90 minutes.”
Other precautions can and should be taken, too.
Because the sun’s harmful rays can penetrate normal clothing, Sabbatini and several other players wear clothing that has sunscreen built into it. The South African also wears a wide-brimmed hat.
“Most BCC happens on the head and neck and those are the hardest to treat because it’s a sensitive location,” Dr. Jambusaria-Pahlajani said. “A baseball cap is not good enough, either. It doesn’t do a great job of protecting the area so I usually recommend a brim that goes all the way around the hat and is at least 4 inches wide.”
CourtesyCourtesy PGATOUR.COMCourtesy PGATOUR.COM
Australians might be heading into the peak of winter, but the message is no less relevant than in the sizzling heights of the Australian summer.
Once dubbed one of the world’s sexiest men by People magazine, Adam Scott looked a bit more garish after a procedure in 2011 to remove a Basil Cell Carcinoma, a form of non-melanoma skin cancer, from his face.
“It looked like I’d been in a bar fight,” says Scott, who received nearly 30 stitches and still has a scar on his nose from the surgery. “But the procedure made me less lazy with applying sun protection because it was quite painful to have it removed.
“I’m just trying to be as responsible as I can because I don’t want my whole body hacked up by the time I’m an old man.”
Scott is hardly alone when it comes to skin cancer in his native country.
Australia has the dubious honour of being known as the skin cancer capital of the world with nearly 750,000 Australians affected each year — roughly 2,000 die on an annual basis.
He is not alone on the PGA TOUR, either.
A number of players have had varying degrees of battles with skin cancer. Being out in the sun as much as eight hours a day is an occupational hazard.
Rory Sabbatini, Brian Davis and Australian Aron Price, among others, have all battled the disease that will affect more than one in five Americans (and one in three Caucasians) in a lifetime.
“You don’t realize how much damage you are doing because we’re out here for an extended period of time,” said Sabbatini, who in 2010 had a squamous cell carcinoma removed from his face. The surgeon dug one millimeter deep and another millimeter wide to remove the growth.
“A lot of golfers I think it’s an afterthought,” Sabbatini added.
Most have been able to catch it early, but not all.
Price had three non-melanoma cancers removed before a fourth mole had to be taken out a couple of years ago. It was discovered to be melanoma, the deadliest of all skin cancers.
“Golfers spend a significant amount of time outdoors so they’re definitely at a higher risk than the average person,” says Dr. Anokhi Jambusaria-Pahlajani, a dermatologist at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. “We see a lot of golfers and tennis players. They have signs of more damage than the average patient and it manifests itself at an earlier age.”
But simply putting on sunscreen often isn’t enough.
“I tell everybody, I recommend sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher and with both UVA and UVB protection,” Dr. Jambusaria-Pahlajani said. “It should be applied all over the body to anything that’s exposed and reapplied ideally every 90 minutes.”
Other precautions can and should be taken, too.
Because the sun’s harmful rays can penetrate normal clothing, Sabbatini and several other players wear clothing that has sunscreen built into it. The South African also wears a wide-brimmed hat.
“Most BCC happens on the head and neck and those are the hardest to treat because it’s a sensitive location,” Dr. Jambusaria-Pahlajani said. “A baseball cap is not good enough, either. It doesn’t do a great job of protecting the area so I usually recommend a brim that goes all the way around the hat and is at least 4 inches wide.”
Australians might be heading into the peak of winter, but the message is no less relevant than in the sizzling heights of the Australian summer.
Once dubbed one of the world’s sexiest men by People magazine, Adam Scott looked a bit more garish after a procedure in 2011 to remove a Basil Cell Carcinoma, a form of non-melanoma skin cancer, from his face.
“It looked like I’d been in a bar fight,” says Scott, who received nearly 30 stitches and still has a scar on his nose from the surgery. “But the procedure made me less lazy with applying sun protection because it was quite painful to have it removed.
“I’m just trying to be as responsible as I can because I don’t want my whole body hacked up by the time I’m an old man.”
Scott is hardly alone when it comes to skin cancer in his native country.
Australia has the dubious honour of being known as the skin cancer capital of the world with nearly 750,000 Australians affected each year — roughly 2,000 die on an annual basis.
He is not alone on the PGA TOUR, either.
A number of players have had varying degrees of battles with skin cancer. Being out in the sun as much as eight hours a day is an occupational hazard.
Rory Sabbatini, Brian Davis and Australian Aron Price, among others, have all battled the disease that will affect more than one in five Americans (and one in three Caucasians) in a lifetime.
“You don’t realize how much damage you are doing because we’re out here for an extended period of time,” said Sabbatini, who in 2010 had a squamous cell carcinoma removed from his face. The surgeon dug one millimeter deep and another millimeter wide to remove the growth.
“A lot of golfers I think it’s an afterthought,” Sabbatini added.
Most have been able to catch it early, but not all.
Price had three non-melanoma cancers removed before a fourth mole had to be taken out a couple of years ago. It was discovered to be melanoma, the deadliest of all skin cancers.
“Golfers spend a significant amount of time outdoors so they’re definitely at a higher risk than the average person,” says Dr. Anokhi Jambusaria-Pahlajani, a dermatologist at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. “We see a lot of golfers and tennis players. They have signs of more damage than the average patient and it manifests itself at an earlier age.”
But simply putting on sunscreen often isn’t enough.
“I tell everybody, I recommend sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher and with both UVA and UVB protection,” Dr. Jambusaria-Pahlajani said. “It should be applied all over the body to anything that’s exposed and reapplied ideally every 90 minutes.”
Other precautions can and should be taken, too.
Because the sun’s harmful rays can penetrate normal clothing, Sabbatini and several other players wear clothing that has sunscreen built into it. The South African also wears a wide-brimmed hat.
“Most BCC happens on the head and neck and those are the hardest to treat because it’s a sensitive location,” Dr. Jambusaria-Pahlajani said. “A baseball cap is not good enough, either. It doesn’t do a great job of protecting the area so I usually recommend a brim that goes all the way around the hat and is at least 4 inches wide.”PGATOUR.COMCourtesy PGATOUR.COMCourtesy PGATOUR.COM
Australians might be heading into the peak of winter, but the message is no less relevant than in the sizzling heights of the Australian summer.
Once dubbed one of the world’s sexiest men by People magazine, Adam Scott looked a bit more garish after a procedure in 2011 to remove a Basil Cell Carcinoma, a form of non-melanoma skin cancer, from his face.
“It looked like I’d been in a bar fight,” says Scott, who received nearly 30 stitches and still has a scar on his nose from the surgery. “But the procedure made me less lazy with applying sun protection because it was quite painful to have it removed.
“I’m just trying to be as responsible as I can because I don’t want my whole body hacked up by the time I’m an old man.”
Scott is hardly alone when it comes to skin cancer in his native country.
Australia has the dubious honour of being known as the skin cancer capital of the world with nearly 750,000 Australians affected each year — roughly 2,000 die on an annual basis.
He is not alone on the PGA TOUR, either.
A number of players have had varying degrees of battles with skin cancer. Being out in the sun as much as eight hours a day is an occupational hazard.
Rory Sabbatini, Brian Davis and Australian Aron Price, among others, have all battled the disease that will affect more than one in five Americans (and one in three Caucasians) in a lifetime.
“You don’t realize how much damage you are doing because we’re out here for an extended period of time,” said Sabbatini, who in 2010 had a squamous cell carcinoma removed from his face. The surgeon dug one millimeter deep and another millimeter wide to remove the growth.
“A lot of golfers I think it’s an afterthought,” Sabbatini added.
Most have been able to catch it early, but not all.
Price had three non-melanoma cancers removed before a fourth mole had to be taken out a couple of years ago. It was discovered to be melanoma, the deadliest of all skin cancers.
“Golfers spend a significant amount of time outdoors so they’re definitely at a higher risk than the average person,” says Dr. Anokhi Jambusaria-Pahlajani, a dermatologist at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. “We see a lot of golfers and tennis players. They have signs of more damage than the average patient and it manifests itself at an earlier age.”
But simply putting on sunscreen often isn’t enough.
“I tell everybody, I recommend sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher and with both UVA and UVB protection,” Dr. Jambusaria-Pahlajani said. “It should be applied all over the body to anything that’s exposed and reapplied ideally every 90 minutes.”
Other precautions can and should be taken, too.
Because the sun’s harmful rays can penetrate normal clothing, Sabbatini and several other players wear clothing that has sunscreen built into it. The South African also wears a wide-brimmed hat.
“Most BCC happens on the head and neck and those are the hardest to treat because it’s a sensitive location,” Dr. Jambusaria-Pahlajani said. “A baseball cap is not good enough, either. It doesn’t do a great job of protecting the area so I usually recommend a brim that goes all the way around the hat and is at least 4 inches wide.”
Australians might be heading into the peak of winter, but the message is no less relevant than in the sizzling heights of the Australian summer.
Once dubbed one of the world’s sexiest men by People magazine, Adam Scott looked a bit more garish after a procedure in 2011 to remove a Basil Cell Carcinoma, a form of non-melanoma skin cancer, from his face.
“It looked like I’d been in a bar fight,” says Scott, who received nearly 30 stitches and still has a scar on his nose from the surgery. “But the procedure made me less lazy with applying sun protection because it was quite painful to have it removed.
“I’m just trying to be as responsible as I can because I don’t want my whole body hacked up by the time I’m an old man.”
Scott is hardly alone when it comes to skin cancer in his native country.
Australia has the dubious honour of being known as the skin cancer capital of the world with nearly 750,000 Australians affected each year — roughly 2,000 die on an annual basis.
He is not alone on the PGA TOUR, either.
A number of players have had varying degrees of battles with skin cancer. Being out in the sun as much as eight hours a day is an occupational hazard.
Rory Sabbatini, Brian Davis and Australian Aron Price, among others, have all battled the disease that will affect more than one in five Americans (and one in three Caucasians) in a lifetime.
“You don’t realize how much damage you are doing because we’re out here for an extended period of time,” said Sabbatini, who in 2010 had a squamous cell carcinoma removed from his face. The surgeon dug one millimeter deep and another millimeter wide to remove the growth.
“A lot of golfers I think it’s an afterthought,” Sabbatini added.
Most have been able to catch it early, but not all.
Price had three non-melanoma cancers removed before a fourth mole had to be taken out a couple of years ago. It was discovered to be melanoma, the deadliest of all skin cancers.
“Golfers spend a significant amount of time outdoors so they’re definitely at a higher risk than the average person,” says Dr. Anokhi Jambusaria-Pahlajani, a dermatologist at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. “We see a lot of golfers and tennis players. They have signs of more damage than the average patient and it manifests itself at an earlier age.”
But simply putting on sunscreen often isn’t enough.
“I tell everybody, I recommend sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher and with both UVA and UVB protection,” Dr. Jambusaria-Pahlajani said. “It should be applied all over the body to anything that’s exposed and reapplied ideally every 90 minutes.”
Other precautions can and should be taken, too.
Because the sun’s harmful rays can penetrate normal clothing, Sabbatini and several other players wear clothing that has sunscreen built into it. The South African also wears a wide-brimmed hat.
“Most BCC happens on the head and neck and those are the hardest to treat because it’s a sensitive location,” Dr. Jambusaria-Pahlajani said. “A baseball cap is not good enough, either. It doesn’t do a great job of protecting the area so I usually recommend a brim that goes all the way around the hat and is at least 4 inches wide.”
Australians might be heading into the peak of winter, but the message is no less relevant than in the sizzling heights of the Australian summer.
Once dubbed one of the world’s sexiest men by People magazine, Adam Scott looked a bit more garish after a procedure in 2011 to remove a Basil Cell Carcinoma, a form of non-melanoma skin cancer, from his face.
“It looked like I’d been in a bar fight,” says Scott, who received nearly 30 stitches and still has a scar on his nose from the surgery. “But the procedure made me less lazy with applying sun protection because it was quite painful to have it removed.
“I’m just trying to be as responsible as I can because I don’t want my whole body hacked up by the time I’m an old man.”
Scott is hardly alone when it comes to skin cancer in his native country.
Australia has the dubious honour of being known as the skin cancer capital of the world with nearly 750,000 Australians affected each year — roughly 2,000 die on an annual basis.
He is not alone on the PGA TOUR, either.
A number of players have had varying degrees of battles with skin cancer. Being out in the sun as much as eight hours a day is an occupational hazard.
Rory Sabbatini, Brian Davis and Australian Aron Price, among others, have all battled the disease that will affect more than one in five Americans (and one in three Caucasians) in a lifetime.
“You don’t realize how much damage you are doing because we’re out here for an extended period of time,” said Sabbatini, who in 2010 had a squamous cell carcinoma removed from his face. The surgeon dug one millimeter deep and another millimeter wide to remove the growth.
“A lot of golfers I think it’s an afterthought,” Sabbatini added.
Most have been able to catch it early, but not all.
Price had three non-melanoma cancers removed before a fourth mole had to be taken out a couple of years ago. It was discovered to be melanoma, the deadliest of all skin cancers.
“Golfers spend a significant amount of time outdoors so they’re definitely at a higher risk than the average person,” says Dr. Anokhi Jambusaria-Pahlajani, a dermatologist at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. “We see a lot of golfers and tennis players. They have signs of more damage than the average patient and it manifests itself at an earlier age.”
But simply putting on sunscreen often isn’t enough.
“I tell everybody, I recommend sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher and with both UVA and UVB protection,” Dr. Jambusaria-Pahlajani said. “It should be applied all over the body to anything that’s exposed and reapplied ideally every 90 minutes.”
Other precautions can and should be taken, too.
Because the sun’s harmful rays can penetrate normal clothing, Sabbatini and several other players wear clothing that has sunscreen built into it. The South African also wears a wide-brimmed hat.
“Most BCC happens on the head and neck and those are the hardest to treat because it’s a sensitive location,” Dr. Jambusaria-Pahlajani said. “A baseball cap is not good enough, either. It doesn’t do a great job of protecting the area so I usually recommend a brim that goes all the way around the hat and is at least 4 inches wide.”