Stay Safe in the Sun
Protect yourself and your loved ones from the harful effects of the sun. Each year, millions of people develop skin cancer, the most common of all cancers. Avoid this hazard by remembering the following:
- Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun is a major cause of skin cancer, and the negative effects of UV radiation build up over one's lifetime. In fact, you can be exposed to UV radiation while driving in your car or sitting by a window in your office. UV radiation is also present on cloudy days, even when you don't see the sun.
- Many skin cancers could be prevented by protecting your skin from the sun's rays and by avoiding indoor tanning beds and lamps.
- Are you sun-safe every day? Take the American Cancer Society's quiz and find out!
While you can't avoid the sun completely, you can know the risks and protect yourself and your loved ones when you spend time outside. Follow these tips:
- Seek shade. Try to avoid direct exposure to the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. That's when UV rays are the most intense.
- Wear clothes to cover exposed skin as much as possible.
- Wear wide-brimmed hats and sunglasses to block UV rays.
- Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen (protects against UVA and UVB radiation) that has a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 30 to protect exposed skin.