Practicing sun-safe behavior does make a difference

Cancer prevention efforts must begin at an early age if we want to reduce cancer incidence and mortality.  We know that health-related habits learned in childhood carry through to adult life and if we can teach our children to make healthy choices when they are young, their chance of becoming healthy adults increases.  And the good news is that skin cancer is often highly preventable.  

There is no such thing as a healthy tan.  

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States with more than one million skin cancers diagnosed annually.  

One blistering sunburn in childhood or adolescence more that doubles a person’s chances of developing skin cancer later in life.  

People who have the highest risk of skin cancer have many irregular moles or large moles.  Another high risk group includes those with close blood relatives who have had melanoma (the deadliest form of skin cancer) or who have had melanoma before.  Other people who develop skin cancer may have fair skin that burns and freckles easily, as well as naturally red or blond hair.  

Although melanoma is less common among people with darker skin who rarely get sunburned, no one is risk free.  

Shadow rule: when outside if your shadow is shorter than you are, then the sun is high in the sky, and ultraviolet (UV) rays are more intense.  The sun’s rays are generally strongest from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  

UV rays reflect off water, sand, snow, and sun.  

More than 90% of skin cancer is caused by excessive exposure to the sun.  

Tanning booths are not safer than the sun.  Tanning booths use UV rays which cause skin damage.  

Apply sunscreen every day on skin that is not protected by clothing or a hat.  Choose a sunscreen with Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of 15 or higher, and remember to reapply after swimming, sweating, towel drying and after every 2 hours.  If you know approximately how long it takes your child to start turning red without protection, you can make sure you are using the right amount of sunscreen by taking this length of time in minutes and multiplying it by the sunscreen’s SPF.  This is how many minutes the sunscreen should protect your child’s skin.  For example: if your child generally starts to burn in 10 minutes and you are using sunscreen with an SPF of 15, your child should be protected for 150 minutes.  If you are unsure how to determine this length of time, check with your health care provider.  Take the time to teach your children sun safety and teach children to appreciate the beauty of their natural skin tone. Sources: American Cancer Society, The Skin Cancer Foundation, Familydoctor.org