Prevent & Protect

• Choose your cover - know what’s in your SPF and get one that offers a broad spectrum of protection for both UVA & UVB that uses both zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. It is important to keep in mind that sunscreen is only one-way to protect you skin. Not only do people typically not use enough sunscreen, but also they don’t take other steps to protect themselves from the harmful effects of the sun, like avoiding pique sunlight, seeking the shade, covering up with clothing, wearing a wide-brimmed hat and UV-blocking sunglasses. Which also includes avoiding pique sunlight, seeking the shade, covering up with clothing, wearing a wide-brimmed hat and UV-blocking sunglasses.
• Avoid UV tanning beds - studies have found that ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is a proven human carcinogen, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Tanning beds using new high-pressure sunlamps may receive as much as 12 times the annual UVA dose compared to the dose they receive from natural sun exposure. Nearly 30 million people tan indoors in the U.S. every year; 2.3 million of them are teens. On an average day, more than one million Americans use tanning salons. Seventy one percent of tanning salon patrons are young girls and women aged 16-29. First exposure to tanning beds in youth increases melanoma risk by 75 percent. People who use tanning beds are 2.5 times more likely to develop squamous cell carcinoma and 1.5 times more likely to develop basal cell carcinoma.