AUG 03, 2016

Staying Safe in the Sun

WRITTEN BY: Brenda Kelley Kim

Skin cancer cases are growing each year. Even though most people know the dangers of too much sun exposure, the rates continue to climb. In the United States, the incidence of new skin cancers each year is more than the combined number of new cases of breast, colon, lung and prostate. While the most deadly form, melanoma, accounts for less than 1% of skin cancer cases, it accounts for the highest number of deaths from the disease. Health professionals cannot stress enough how important protection is.

One easy way to remember it is "Slip, Slop, Slap and Wrap" which means to slip on a shirt, slop on the sunscreen, slap on a hat and wrap on some sunglasses. While most people do one or two of these things, almost no one does them all. Quantity matters as well as quality. You should always use a broad spectrum sunscreen to block both UVA and UVB rays and you should reapply often and use large amounts. Experts advise staying out of the sun as well, choosing a beach umbrella or shady tree as cover