Use the following tips to protect your skin from the sun. You may decrease your chances of getting skin cancer and help prevent wrinkles.
Even if you don’t sunburn as easily, you can still get skin cancer so it’s important to use sun protection, no matter what color your skin is.
- Stay out of the sun during the peak hours of UV radiation. Peak hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Find shade if you need to be outdoors. You can also find how much UV exposure you are getting by using the shadow rule. If your shadow is longer than you, then UV exposure is low. If your shadow is shorter than you, then UV exposure is high.
- Wear protective clothing. This can include:
- Wide-brimmed hats that protect the face and neck.
- Tightly-woven clothes made of thick material, such as unbleached cotton, polyester, wool, or silk.
- Dark clothes with dyes added that help absorb UV radiation.
- Loose-fitting long-sleeved clothes that cover as much of the skin as possible.
- Clothes with sun protection factor (SPF) in the fabric that doesn’t wash out.
- Wear sunscreen, with an SPF of 30 or higher, every day. This includes summer and winter, on both cloudy and clear days.
- Use sunscreen that blocks both UVA and UVB radiation. Apply to all exposed skin, including the nose, lips, ears, scalp, back of the hands, and neck. Apply sunscreen 30 minutes before going in the sun, and reapply it every 2 hours and after swimming, exercising, or sweating.
- Use protective lip balm. Use lip balm or cream that has an SPF of 30 or higher to protect your lips from getting sunburned.
- Wear wraparound sunglasses. Choose ones that block at least 99% of UVA and UVB radiation.
- Be careful when you are on sand, snow, or water. These surfaces can reflect 85% of the sun’s rays.
- Avoid artificial sources of UVA radiation. This includes sunlamps and tanning booths. Like the sun, they can cause skin damage and increase the risk of skin cancer.
