Why wear Sunscreen?
By: Briauna B., Catherine C., and Lauren G.
The Importance of Sunscreen
- Wearing sunscreen protects your skin from many things such as:
- skin cancer
- early aging
- sun burns
- skin damage
- Although wearing sunscreen does not guarantee immunity against these things, it is very important in battling them, preventing them, and lessening their effects.
From: Skin Cancer Foundation
What Does Sunscreen Prevent
- Without sunscreen, ultraviolet rays penetrate your skin, which damage the DNA in your skin cells, possibly resulting in mutations that progress into skin cancer
- Ultraviolet A Rays damage keratinocytes in the basal layer of the epidermis, which is where most skin cancer originates, and these rays make up 95% of your exposure to ultraviolet radiation, and they can also penetrate glass
- Ultraviolet B rays cause sunburns and aging
- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the World Health Organization consider ultraviolet rays a human carcinogen
From: Skin Cancer Foundation
Why You Should Protect Your Skin
- Having skin cancer, whether it is basal or squamous cell, or melanoma, is incredibly dangerous, and it is not only a hard process for you, but also for your family
- While basal and squamous cell cancers are relatively benign, melanoma is very malignant and if not caught early on will spread to other areas of the body
- Although basal and squamous cell cancers only arise in sun exposed areas, melanoma can arise anywhere on the body that has melanocytes
- Although not nearly as important, not using sunscreen causes your skin to age faster and will result in more wrinkles and sun spots than most people would like
From: Skin Cancer Foundation
Sunscreen and Other Protectants
- Always wear at least SPF 15 sunscreen
- Apply sunscreen every 2 hours
- If possible, find an area to be under the shade
- Wear long sleeves, pants, and hats, a four inch brim hat can reduce your chance of skin cancer by up to 40%
- Regularly check yourself for moles that could be cancerous using the ABCD method
- Wear sunglasses and get the windows on your vehicle tinted
From: Skin Cancer Foundation