RSS
Home
July is UV safety awareness month
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
A young man displaying a moderate sunburn. Note that the intensity of redness does not necessarily correspond to the degree of skin damage.
When some of you were growing up the sunscreen of choice was baby oil mixed with iodine and a sun reflector thrown in. Truly there were no sunscreens as there were no seat belts.
We have come a long way. It seems to me that anyone who doesn't protect themselves from the damage of the sun is asking for melanoma.
Skin cancer is on the rise. Many of those numbers are from the baby boomers who didn't have the products or knowledge that you now have.
UV stands for ultraviolet. You will see sunscreen with UV (or UVA/UVB) and sunglasses should have a UV protection. Exposure to bright sunlight increases the risk of developing cataracts and cancer on your eye!
Tanning beds have a higher amount of UV rays than sunlight which is why you are given goggles - still your body isn't wearing goggles. Remember than the sun comes through clouds. Remember that the sun reflects off water, and remember that sunburns are very common while skiing.
Sunburn caused by extended exposure on a glacier.
- Always use at least a sunscreen with an SPF (sun protection factor) of 15.
- Wear a hat or cap to keep the sun off your face and out of your eyes.
- When being physical - like biking or hiking - consider getting clothing with a built in sun protection factor.
- Use an umbrella on the beach. They also come with SPF numbers.
- Remember to reapply your sunscreen.
- Children are so susceptible. They don't know to wear a shirt and face away from the sun so parents have to be on top of the dangers of sun.
- The sun is the strongest between 12:00p.m. and 2:00p.m. More conservative numbers say 10:00a.m. to 4:00p.m.
Sunburn, photographed 2 days after a 5-hour sun exposure. The dark red area is sunburned. The lighter-colored skin was covered by the woman's suit during exposure.
All pictures courtesy of wikipedia.
You may enjoy these:
- Survivor winner diagnosed with cancer
- Super athlete Steve Larson dies at 39
- Amy Mickelson wife of top Golf champ has breast cancer
- Sign Lifetime's breast cancer petition
- Boston College athlete faces cancer
If you like my articles please sign up to follow me by clicking "subscribe by e-mail," for the free RSS feed, or follow along on Twitter. Send your friends on over! Story tip? Questions? Leave a comment or your e-mail address.
Related Articles:
Comments
