More than two million people are diagnosed with skin cancer in the United States alone every year. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation more people are diagnosed with this condition than prostate, breast, colon and lung cancer put together.

The most common cause of skin cancer is long-term sun exposure. You will need to understand the risks of skin cancer and how to protect yourself.

Tips to Protect Yourself

Most people underestimate how much damage the sun can cause to your skin. You will need to be very careful to make sure that you take the precautions necessary to protect yourself. Here are some things that you will want to do.

Minimize Time in the Sun

Using sun screen is important, but it doesn’t eliminate the risk of developing cancer. You will want to reduce the amount of time that you spend in the sun as much as possible. You should try to spend time in the shade or resting under the best retractable awning that you can find.

It is especially a good idea to stay under these if you are going to be taking a nap. You run a higher risk of damaging your skin if you stay in one position.

Use the Right Sun Screen

There are many different types of sun screen on the market. Many people believe that it is important to choose a sun screen with a high SPF rating to protect them from UVA rays. This isn’t true for most people. Most people would do just fine with sun screen with an SPF rating of 15, but people with more delicate skin may need stronger protection.

Sun screens with a high SPF value can also lull people into a false sense of security. The SPF value of a sun screen doesn’t indicate that it will protect you from UVB rays, which are the most likely to cause skin cancer. You will need to look at the ingredients carefully to choose a sun screen. You will want to see if your sun screen has any of these ingredients:

• Benzophenones
• Sulisobenzone
• zinc oxide
• titanium dioxide
• cinnamates

These are the ingredients that offer the most protection against UVB rays. See if they are listed on the bottle anywhere.

Everyone Should Protect Against Sun Exposure

Most people don’t understand how easy it is to develop skin cancer. Unfortunately, there are a lot of misconceptions that keep people from taking the steps they need to protect themselves. Many people have been told that people receive 80 percent of their exposure to the sun by the age of 18. Recent studies have shown that they only receive about a quarter that level of exposure in that time frame.

Many people also mistakenly believe that only young people need to worry about taking precautions because melanoma and other cancers take so long to develop. You can still start to develop skin cancer well into your 40s and 50s. Everybody should make sure they protect themselves from the sun at any age.

About Author: Kalen is a freelance health and wellness writer. He shares tips to help protect people from common forms of cancer, diabetes and other diseases.
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