Saving Your Skin from Sun Damage

Why is the sun so bad for my skin?
The sun's rays, which are called ultraviolet A and ultraviolet B rays (UVAand UVB rays), damage your skin. This leads to early wrinkles, skin cancer,and other skin problems.

Being in the sun often can lead to skin cancer over time, even if you don'tget sunburned. A suntan is the body's way to protect itself from the sun'sharmful rays.

Are tanning booths safer?
No. Tanning booths use ultraviolet rays. The makers of some tanning boothsmay say that they use "harmless" UVA rays. But both UVA and UVB rays causeskin damage. UVA rays take longer than UVB rays to damage the skin, but theygo deeper into the skin than UVB rays.

Where is skin cancer most likely to occur?
Most skin cancers occur on parts of the body that are exposed to the sunrepeatedly. These areas include the head, neck, face, tips of the ears,hands, forearms, shoulders, back, chests of men, and the back and lower legsof women.

What are the risk factors for getting skin cancer?
You have a higher risk of getting skin cancer if you:

• Have fair skin and red or blond hair
• Have light-colored eyes
• Sunburn easily
• Have many moles, freckles, or birthmarks
• Work or play outside
• Were in the sun a lot as a child
• Have had a serious sunburn
• Have family members with skin cancer
• Tan in the sun or with a sunlamp or have tanned that way in the past

How can I prevent skin cancer?
The key to preventing skin cancer is to stay out of the sun and to not usesunlamps. If you are going to be in the sun, you should wear clothes madefrom tightly woven cloth so the sun's rays can't get to your skin. You alsoshould stay in the shade when you can. Wear a wide-brimmed hat to protectyour face, neck, and ears.

Remember that clouds and water won't protect you from the sun's rays. Thesun's rays can also reflect off water, snow, and white sand.

Should I use sunscreen?
If you can't stay out of the sun or wear the right kind of clothing, youshould use sunscreen to protect your skin. But don't think that you arecompletely safe from the sun just because you are wearing sunscreen.

How should I use sunscreen?
Use sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or more. Put thesunscreen everywhere the sun's rays might touch you, including your ears,the back of your neck, and bald areas on your scalp. Put more on every twoto three hours and after sweating or swimming. (AAFP)