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Sunscreen And UV Rays - How To Protect Against Skin Cancer

Skin cancer is an increasingly common disease that is thought to be caused by over exposure to Ultraviolet (UV) radiation. This combined with certain genetic predispositions, like fair skin, can make a person particularly vulnerable to developing skin cancer. Most people get exposed to UV radiation from spending time in the Sun. As it is practically impossible to avoid being in the Sun, minimizing the amount of time spent in the Sun or limiting it's impact on the skin is often advised. This article will cover some of the ways to protect yourself from the damaging affect of the Sun. It concentrates on how sunscreen can protect you from developing skin cancer.

The first thing to point out is that sunscreen should never be seen as the only thing you can do to limit your exposure to sunlight. It should be used in conjunction with some of the points mentioned below.

Avoid going out in the Sun when it is strongest. This means from around 11 in the morning through to 3 in the afternoon. Naturally, mid days is the worst time to be out in the Sun. Granted, this may not always be possible, especially if you work outdoors or leave the office for lunch. In this case take other precautions.

Protect your skin with clothing. Cover as much of your body as practically possible. The arms and legs are often exposed so think about wearing long sleeve shirts or long pants if practical.

Wear a hat with a wide brim. You could also use a sun umbrella if you don't like hats but a hat is the best method of protecting the scalp and face.

Wear sunglasses that absorb UVA and UVB radiation, as they can damage the eyes. Not only can they cause melanoma developing but they can lead to cataracts and other diseases.

After you have done these things you should then consider wearing sunscreen. Cover the parts of your body that are not covered by clothing. Some advise to cover the arms and legs with sunscreen even if they are covered by clothings as you might roll up your sleeves and it doubles the protection.

There are two general types of sunscreens. Chemical sunscreens work by absorbing UV rays. Physical sunscreens work by reflecting UV rays (or blocking them, hence the name sunblock that is sometimes used).

The sun protection factor (SPF) of a sunscreen is often used to illustrate it's strength and effectiveness. Most advice suggests that you use a sunscreen with an SPF of 30+. However the SPF of a sunscreen only applies to UVB radiation. Although this is thought to be the worst form of radiation for skin cancer, recent research suggest that UVA radiation can be just as bad. If you want a sunscreen that protects against both UVB and UVA radiation then you should look at what is marketed as broad spectrum sunscreen.

Suns blocking suncreens are best if you spend plenty of time in the Sun. They are often thick creams that are applied to parts of the body that are most likely to get burned. So the nose and lips are often covered in sunblock.

Sunblock sunscreen will have either titanium dioxide or zinc oxide in them (they are also sometimes referred to as zinc cream). If you don't appreciate having a large band of zinc cream across your nose then an alternative is ultramicronized titanium or zinc sunscreens. They are transparent but do the same job of reflecting UV rays.

Always reapply sunscreen every 2 hours regardless of if you are active or not. Go for a sunscreen that you like on the skin as this makes it more likely that you will continue to use and reapply it.