It’s no surprise that UV Safety Month is in July – a month filled with hot days, summer vacations and plenty of outdoor activities.
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.
These are sobering statistics indeed. But, there is good news too.
When detected early, skin cancer has a 98% survival rate.
Here are the top 10 tips for sun safety and skin health from our friends at Neutrogena and their new campaign to Choose Skin Health:
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.
Don’t forget your ears, hands, feet and neck when applying sunscreen.
Use sunscreen when driving on long road trips – windows do not protect you from the sun!
Pack an umbrella AND sunscreen: 80% of UV rays pass through clouds, so wear sunscreen regardless of the weather.
Protect your lips! Your lips have less melatonin than the rest of your body.
Use a golf-ball sized amount of sunscreen to be sure your entire body is protected.
Make sure everything you wear offers sun protection, from hats to sunglasses to facial moisturizer.
Set your watch to watch your back every 2 hours. That’s how often you should reapply sunscreen.
Always have a supply of sunscreen with SPF on hand.
Remember that the sun never takes a vacation, so apply sunscreen in all four seasons of the year.
You can learn more about UV safety at Neutrogena’s Facebook page, Choose Skin Health.
What other steps do you take to protect yourself and your family from the sun?
Source: American Society for Dermatologic Surgery
Gigi Ross is a wife and mom of two kids (a 10 year-old boy and an 8 year-old girl) living in San Diego, CA. Gigi works as a content and community manager for Johnson & Johnson. A blogger and writer in her spare time, Gigi’s work has been featured on the Huffington Post, Babble, BlogHer and Mamapedia. She keeps her personal blog at KludgyMom.