People with sunburns look cool! But is it a good chance to get tanned before end up in hospital? As the most common form of Cancer in the U.S., over one million cases are diagnosed with skin cancer every year. While outdoor activities are the most preferable during summer, it is so important that you protect your skin from this harmful symptom.
Summer is the great time to sunbath and gets tanned. People go to the beach and always sunbath there for the whole day. And tanning is just the skin’s response to UV light. It is a protective reaction to prevent further injury to the skin from the sun but it does not prevent skin cancer. Besides, it has been known for years that sunburn and UV light is the main cause of skin cancer, particularly among those who like sunbath or get tanned. So be aware of the danger of the UV light and sunburn. Knowing skin cancer and find the way to protect your skin from the sun this summer will prevent you to risk the harmful cancer.
Knowing skin cancer
Skin cancer is a cancer forms in tissues of the skin. Most skin cancers form in older people on parts of the body exposed to the sun or in people who have weakened immune systems. Exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet rays appears to be the most important environmental factor of developing skin cancer. It is the fastest growing type of cancer in the US and more than a million Americans will be diagnosed with skin cancer in 2008. Most people receive 80% of their lifetime exposure to the sun by 18 years of age. So protect your skin earlier may reduce the risk of skin cancer.
Protect yourself from skin cancer
You can go to have fun outdoors and enjoy your summer but prevent skin cancer by following these suggestions:
- Cover up with clothing to protect exposed skin. Cloths will protect the skin from UV rays in a certain level. Choosing to wear long sleeved shirts, long pants or long skirts can protect as much skin as possible. Dark colored, tightly woven fabrics may provide more protection than light colored loosely woven clothing. Ideally sun protective fabrics are lightweight, comfortable, and stylish as well.
- Avoid exposing the skin to the sunlight during midday hours (10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.), when UV rays are strongest and do the most damage.
- Wear a hat with a wide brim to shade the face, head, ears, and neck.
- Always wear sunscreen. Choose and Use a sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or more, especially for use on babies 6 months or older and children, who are more sensitive to the sun. Once sunscreen is applied it tends to wear off within 2-3 hours and should be reapplied for the duration of your sun exposure and once absorbed can protect you against the sun’s radiation. Choose a sunscreen that protects against both UVA and UVB rays.
- Avoid sunbathing and do not try to get tanned by sun. Although sunbath do not emit light from the sun, they can be equally if not more dangerous than the sun. Many people suffer from the incorrect notion that tanning beds are harmless; this may not be the case as tanning beds emit high levels of UVA and UVB rays. Exposure to tanning beds is close up and self regulated and as such can cause serious skin damage which can eventually lead to the formation of skin cancers. Serious dangers are associated with overexposure for people with all skin types.