Saturday, May 23, 2009

The Sun And Skin Cancer

By Matt Hellstrom

Many people go to the beach when the sun is beating down on them, so that they can catch all the rays that they can for a glorious tan. But we now know that too much exposure to the sun can lead to serious skin damage.

Of course, we all know that we should be wearing sunscreen when we go outside at all times. How many people actually put sunscreen on in the morning in their daily routine. We typically only think of sunscreen when we are planning a day out of doors.We are warned on a continuous basis to keep our skin protected from the harmful rays and stay out of the sun when it is at its strongest. Younger people tend to not pay attention to these warnings about skin cancer and the sun.

No matter how young or old you are, you need to take good care of your skin. Excessive exposure to the sun will lead to damage eventually even if it doesn't appear for many years. Therefore, you should prevent damage from the sun when you are young so that it won't become an issue when you're older. Many steps can be taken to limit or prevent sun damage.

We often only consider applying sunscreen when we expect to be outside for many hours. However, we don't consider it when we spend shorter periods of time out of doors. Your skin is exposed to the sun's rays every time you are outside, even if you're simply walking to work in the morning or taking a breather outdoors during the afternoon.

In general, you should protect yourself from the sun by applying sunblock with an SPF of 15 or more on all exposed skin. In addition, the sun is strongest between 10 AM and 3 PM. Therefore, you shouldn't go outside unnecessarily during those hours. The summer isn't the only time you should watch your exposure to the sun. In the winter and fall, you can still get too much sunlight. Sunscreen should be worn all year round.

If you sweat or go swimming, you should reapply your suntan lotion every so often. To be safe, apply more lotion every two hours, or more often for children. Infants less than six months old should not be exposed to the sun any more than necessary, since their skin cannot handle sunscreen.

Babies and children have extremely delicate skin, and thus are at high risk for sun exposure and even skin cancer. Limit their sun exposure by covering skin and outfitting them with hats.

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