How Flip-Flops, Baseball Caps Can Raise Your Skin Cancer Risk : RSS 0.91

How Flip-Flops, Baseball Caps Can Raise Your Skin Cancer Risk

Cheap, convenient and casual, baseball caps and flip-flops have acquired a trendy charm. Those qualities have made them must-wear accessories for teens, outdoor enthusiasts, gardeners or anyone trying to keep cool during the sweltering days of summer.

However, flip-flips and baseball caps could pose a hidden health risk from skin cancer.

shoestix @ 5/21/2009 9:37:04 PM

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people always give me s**t about my choice of hats. I feel vindicated now.

Ankabout @ 5/21/2009 4:39:08 PM

« kakana : This is why I wear a pith helmet and crocks when I'm out in the sun for a extended amount of time.

Crocs??? How does that help. Do your feet look like this now?

http://img188.imageshack.us/img188/4137/crocsburn.jpg

kakana @ 5/21/2009 4:15:52 PM

This is why I wear a pith helmet and crocks when I'm out in the sun for a extended amount of time.

badbud @ 5/21/2009 3:17:03 PM

a reminder...

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj259/badbud1/Dont_Fry_Day2.jpg

badbud @ 5/21/2009 3:02:36 PM

*in walks the dermatology nurse*

It goes something like this...the sun is bad the sun is evil, if you must go out wear sunscreen, long sleeves, and "a hat". That is as much as most people hear, or sadly, as much a stupid primary care doctor ever tells them. Most PCP's fail to clarify that a hat means a WIDE BRIMMED HAT, and sunscreen means 1 oz applied head to toe 30 minutes before going out to allow the ingredients to fully bind to the skin. Sunscreen should be reapplied every 2 hours, more often if sweating excessively or swimming.

Peterson said that before the popularity of flip-flops and baseball caps, people venturing out on sunny days traditionally wore broad-rimmed hats and sneakers or shoes that afforded a large measure of protection to the tops of their feet and tips of their ears.

the guy that wrote this article, and maybe the professor he interviewed, are nuts. Sure people wore wide brim hats and carried umbrellas in the 1800's...they also had a short life expectancy of <60 yrs.

In conclusion, please do not blame the baseball hat and/or flip flops, blame the idiot wearing them (without sunscreen).

***This should in no way be interpreted as medical advice as that would violate Badbud Rule #24 prohibiting the dispensing of medical advice via plime and/or the interwebz

Ankabout @ 5/21/2009 2:40:04 PM

Basically this article is saying:

"Clothing/accessories that leave skin uncovered increases risks..."

So more sun on skin is more risk. Don't know about you guys but I've known that for quite a while.

And joeyneutrino's right. If hats weren't fashionable, much less people would wear them, increasing the risks even more.

Gotta agree with the flipflops though. Not only because they expose more skin, but they probably are often made from carcinogenic plastics and stuff.

joeyneutrino @ 5/21/2009 11:14:37 AM

The argument against baseball-type hats is very curious. They leave the ears uncovered, but so does not wearing a hat at all.