Health Feature Articles
Sun Safety
Janet Hackert,
Regional Nutrition Specialist in
Harrison County,
University of Missouri Extension
The American Cancer Society reports that “more than 1
million skin cancers are diagnosed each year in the
United States.” Avoid becoming a statistic by taking
care of yourself and your family in the sun.
Exposure to the sun for prolonged periods of time or the
occasional strong exposure that causes burning can lead
to skin cancer. Preventing skin cancer can be as easy as
“slip, slop, slap… and wrap!”
Slip on a shirt! Covering up and protecting skin from
cancer-causing UV light helps. Cover up with long
sleeves, long pants and long skirts. Keep in mind that
if you can easily see light through the cloth UV light
can also get through to the skin.
Slop on sunscreen! Apply it properly for best results.
Follow product directions for application. Most
sunscreens work best if applied 20-30 minutes before
exposure to the sun. Be sure to cover face, ears, hands
and arms. If insect repellant or makeup is also being
worn, apply sunscreen first. Use a sunscreen of Sun
Protection Factor (SPF) 15 or higher. In most cases,
reapply sunscreen at least every two hours while out in
the sun.
Slap on a hat! Keep in mind that, like clothing, if you
can see the sun through the hat, the sun’s UV rays can
see your skin. Tightly woven brims that are 2-3 inches
wide and that go all the way around are best. These
shade and protect the top of the head, neck, ears and
face. Baseball caps may protect the top of the head and
part of the face, so be sure to use sunscreen on other
parts of the head and neck that are not protected.
Wrap on sunglasses! They should block 99-100% of the UVA
and UVB radiation. If the label says “UV absorption up
to 400 nm” or “Meets ANSI UV Requirements” these are
effective.
So remember: Slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen, slap on
a hat, and wrap on sunglasses. And take your outside
activities to a shady area during the strongest,
sunniest times from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Another way to
know when the sun is strongest is to look at your
shadow: if it's shorter than you are, stay in the shade!
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Last Updated 05/05/2009
