Be UV Aware

Do not be fooled by Florida’s rainy season; ultraviolet radiation can still be harmful when the sky is overcast. There is no better time to prepare for that sunshine than July, which is UV Awareness Month. Dr. Kimmerle Cohen, a surgical oncologist with the Palm Beach Health Network Physician Group who is also on staff at Good Samaritan Medical Center and Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center, provides several tips to lower your risk of skin cancer.

“UV light can penetrate clouds and be reflected by water, increasing the amount of radiation you are exposed to. So even if it’s a fairly cloudy day at the beach, your skin is still vulnerable,” Dr. Cohen says.

We rarely are mindful that we’re getting unintentional UV exposure on a daily basis. The windshield on your car does not block UV rays, so there is no protection when driving. Even just strolling outside to run errands daily is constant exposure to the sun, emphasizing the importance of wearing sunscreen every day.

COHEN

“Melanoma does not just appear from one particularly sunny day; it develops over time as a result of chronic cumulative exposure,” Dr. Cohen says, who has beaten melanoma twice.

No matter where you are, sunscreen should function as your initial protection against the sun’s damage—but if you’re outside and there is available shade, use it! It is never too late to protect your skin. Many people used to sunbathe in their youth and think their skin is already too damaged. However, with changes in behavior, like applying sunscreen in your daily routine and limiting exposure to the sun, you can still see a difference in your skin.

Dr. Kimmerle Cohen is a general surgeon and surgical oncologist specializing in complex skin cancer resection and reconstruction with node biopsy. Dr. Cohen also specializes in liver, pancreas and bile duct surgery, complex gastrointestinal (GI) surgery, hernia repair, abdominal wall reconstruction, palliative cancer surgery, breast cancer surgery, general surgery and robotic surgery. Before joining

Palm Beach Health Network Physician Group in 2013, Dr. Cohen completed a Hepatopancreaticobiliary Fellowship from Florida Hospital Tampa and a Trauma and Surgical Critical Care Fellowship from East Carolina University. Dr. Cohen is certified in General Surgery and Trauma/ Surgical Critical Care by the American Board of Surgery.

For more information on Dr. Cohen, visit pbhnphysiciangroup.com , and for Oncology and Comprehensive Cancer Care at Good Samaritan Medical Center, visit goodsamaritanmc.com/services/oncology.

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