The Centers for Disease Control reports that skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the United States. The American Academy of Dermatology breaks down the numbers even further and concludes that one in five Americans will get some form of skin cancer in their lifetime. It’s not just a concept to keep in the back of your mind when going outside – it’s a serious risk for everyone regardless of your lifestyle, skin tone or age.
Just bringing sunscreen with you to the pool or beach and applying it before you get out in the sun isn’t enough. Here are a few other things to keep in mind when it comes to sun exposure and sunscreen use.
Protect Your Head
One of the most overlooked areas of the body when it comes to sunscreen application is the scalp. Obviously, bald men or women need to pay particularly close attention to their heads, but even those with hair should apply sunscreen to their hairline and scalp or wear a hat to protect skin.
Protect Your Eyes
You can’t put sunscreen on your eyeballs, obviously. But, your eyes can be damaged by the UVA rays even if you’re just driving down the road on a bright, sunny day and not even at the beach or pool. Try to wear sunglasses that block UVA rays whenever you are outdoors, whether that’s while gardening, walking the kids to school or spending the day relaxing at the beach or pool.
Protect Your Lips
The skin on your lips is particularly vulnerable to not only sunburn, but also skin cancer. People often forget about the lips when applying sunscreen, and when they do use it on their lips, they may find the taste appalling. Many lip balm and sunscreen brands make specific products just to protect lips in a safe and much less bitter-tasting way. Using lip balm with SPF protection is something you should do every single day regardless of whether you spend the whole day outside or just a few hours between errands, work and school runs.
Stay in the Shade
A recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that those who burn easily are less likely to get sunburned because they don’t just rely on sunscreen to protect themselves – they stay in the shade for longer periods of their outdoor time. Those with less sensitive or burn-prone skin spend very little time in the shade, rely on sunscreen only and actually burn more often, according to the study.
For more information on protecting your skin, or to schedule an appointment right here at the Advanced Eyelid Surgery Center to check your skin or eyes for signs of cancer, call us today at 817-778-4444.
