While sunshine is essential for your body to process vitamin D, ultraviolet (UV) radiation can quickly damage your skin, no matter your skin tone.

• One in five Americans get skin cancer.
• Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the U.S.
• UV light exposure causes most skin cancers.
• Just FIVE sunburns double your risk of developing melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.

How to safely enjoy the summer sun

• Cover up. Wear a wide-brimmed hat (to protect your nose, ears, and back of the neck) and sun- protective clothing. This type of clothing is often labeled with a UPF (Ultraviolet Protection Factor) rating and is effective at blocking UV rays and preventing sunburns. Studies have shown that UPF clothing offers significant protection against UVA and UVB radiation, exceeding the protection provided by sunscreen in some cases.

• Stay shaded. The sun is strongest at midday. Seek shade between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. The sun can still damage your skin on cloudy days or in the winter, so it’s important to stay protected all year long.

• Wear sunscreen and enough of it. Apply sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15 to protect against UVA and UVB rays because SPF is your BFF! The National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention advises applying at least one ounce (a palmful) of sunscreen every two hours and more often if you’re sweating or swimming – even if the sunscreen is waterproof (Source: www.weillcornell.org). Consider using mineral sunscreens, which use non-toxic zinc oxide and titanium dioxide as active ingredients, absorb quicker than non-mineral sunscreens, and are effective at blocking UV rays by reflecting them off the skin's surface. 

• Protect your eyes. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, UV radiation – whether from natural sunlight or indoor artificial rays – can damage the eye's surface tissues as well as the cornea and lens, possibly leading to macular degeneration and vision loss. Choose sunglasses with a UV400 rating or “100% UV protection” on the label. These sunglasses block more than 99% of UVA and UVB radiation and provide the most protection against UV rays. Do not mistake dark-tinted sunglasses as having UV protection. (Source: FDA.GOV)

• Check the UV Index. Weather reports generally contain a UV index for a particular time. But what does it mean? What should you do about it? The Ultra Violet Radiation Index (UVI) has been around for more than 20 years and gives a measure of the intensity of the sun, using both UVA and UVB. The World Health Organization recommends protecting our skin from the sun when the UVI is 3 or higher. So, the "alert" applies to the block of time the UVI is 3 or above through the course of any day. UVI 1-2 is low, which generally means it's safe to be outdoors unprotected. Other classifications are moderate (3-5), high (6-7), very high (8-10) and extreme (11+). (Source: https://www.cancer.org.au)