How to Protect Your Skin From the Sun

How to Protect Your Skin from the Sun.

The sun gives off ultraviolet radiation. The types that cause skin cancer are called ultraviolet A and ultraviolet B rays, or UVA and UVB rays for short.

Most of the radiation from the sun is from UVA rays. UVA rays cause early skin aging, such as wrinkles, as well as sunspots. It can also cause skin cancers, such as melanoma and non-melanoma cancers.

UVB rays damage the top layer of your skin, causing sunburns. UVB rays can also cause skin cancers.

Having severe sunburns, which is when your skin blisters, peels, or swells, increases your risk of developing skin cancer later in life. Having sunburns that cause blisters as a child can cause melanoma when you're older.

Anytime you're in the sun, you're exposing yourself to UVA and UVB rays that can harm your skin. There's no such thing as a safe tan, and that includes tans from tanning beds.

Tanning beds can give you a tan with little or no burning. They also expose your skin to UV radiation, causing skin aging and skin cancer. Tanning even once in a while triples your risk for developing melanoma.

You can safely enjoy outdoor activities by protecting your skin from UV rays.

It's best to avoid being directly in the sun between 10 in the morning and 4 in the afternoon, when the sun is strongest.

When you do go out in the sun, protect yourself. Wear a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses to protect your skin and eyes.

You can even wear clothing designed to protect your skin from the sun. This type of clothing has an ultraviolet protection factor, or UPF, which means it's made with material that can protect your skin from UV rays.

Make protecting your skin part of your routine. Wear sunscreen every day, even on cloudy days. Make sure to cover all your skin with sunscreen, not just your face.

When you're choosing a sunscreen, it's important to check the SPF, which stands for Sun Protection Factor. SPF measures how much a sunscreen will protect you from UVB and some UVA rays.

Choose a sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher. You should also look for one that's labeled as broad-spectrum sunscreen, which means it protects against both UVA and UVB rays.

There are two types of sunscreens: mineral sunscreens, also called physical sunscreens, and chemical sunscreens.

Mineral sunscreens work by blocking UV rays from getting into your skin, like a shield. Chemical sunscreens work by absorbing UV rays.

Whether you're using a mineral or a chemical sunscreen, apply it 30 minutes before you're in the sun so your skin has time to absorb it. Reapply it all over your skin every two hours, especially after swimming or sweating.

If you have a dark skin tone, you still need sunscreen. All skin tones are at risk for sunburn and skin cancer.

To learn more about sunscreen and how to use it, visit www.mskcc.org/pe and search sunscreen.

If you have any questions about protecting your skin from the sun, contact your healthcare provider.