July UV Safety Month

It’s no surprise that UV Safety Month is in July – a month filled with hot days, summer vacations, and plenty of outdoor activities.

Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States. Most cases of melanoma, the deadliest kind of skin cancer, are caused by exposure to ultraviolet rays. To lower your skin cancer risk, protect your skin from the sun, and avoid indoor tanning.

Despite ongoing awareness efforts around sun safety, a million cases of skin cancer are still diagnosed every year. One in five Americans will get skin cancer during their lifetime, and it’s the second-most diagnosed form of cancer in 15 to 29-year-olds. When detected early, skin cancer has a 98% survival rate.

Here are the top 10 tips for sun safety and skin health:

1. Make a yearly date with your dermatologist for a skin cancer screening. Check your own body once a month for changes in the shape, size, and color of moles.
2. Don’t forget your ears, hands, feet, and neck when applying sunscreen.
3. Use sunscreen when driving on long road trips because windows do not protect you from the sun!
4. Pack an umbrella AND sunscreen: 80% of UV rays pass through clouds, so wear sunscreen regardless of the weather.
5. Protect your lips! Your lips have less melatonin than the rest of your body.
6. Use a golf-ball-sized amount of sunscreen to be sure your entire body is protected.
7. Make sure everything you wear offers sun protection, from hats to sunglasses to facial moisturizers.
8. Set your watch to watch your back every 2 hours. That’s how often you should reapply sunscreen.
9. Always have a supply of sunscreen with SPF on hand.
10. Remember that the sun never takes a vacation, so apply sunscreen in all four seasons of the year.