Don't Know Much About Sun Safety? Well Read Up And Learn How To Play It Safe While Playing In The Sun!

This post is for you Burhman and Conrad!


Information Provided By The Curt and Shonda Schilling Melanoma Foundation®

"What we do for ourselves dies with us, what we do for others lives forever."

Sun Safety
Prevention is the key to reducing the proliferation of skin cancer. Understanding the proper steps to prevention is critical to ensure the best protective measures are taken. Being sun smart is important at all ages and it is especially critical to instill these practices at an early age. Not only will you help ensure the safety of your young ones, but help to spread the understanding and importance of sun safety.

Child Sun Safety

Childhood sunburns can increase your child’s risk of developing skin cancer as an adult. Even a suntan is harmful to children. Tanning is an outward sign to internal skin damage. Research shows that much of the damage to skin is done in the first 18 years of life. Protecting skin and eyes during the first 18 years can reduce the risk of some types of skin cancer by up to 78%. Melanoma is a cancer of younger people and can start as early as adolescence.
Youth and Skin Cancer
50% of lifetime exposure to UV light occurs during childhood and adolescence
It can take less than 10 minutes for a child’s skin to burn
Severe childhood sunburns are at an increased risk for skin cancer
Being sun safe is the first step to reduce the chances of getting skin cancer later in life
A person born today is twice as likely to develop malignant melanoma compared to someone born only a decade ago and 12 times more likely as someone born 50 years ago.
*Information taken from the National Coalition for Skin Cancer Prevention http://www.sunsafety.org/
Teach Children Sun Safe Habits
Children learn healthy habits best at a young age. Therefore, it is important to begin protecting your children from the beginning and teaching them the importance of sun safety. With sun damage accumulating over a person’s lifespan, beginning sun safety habits at a young age should be a priority.
Maximize protection between the hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Wear sun protective clothing including long sleeved shirts and pants made of tightly woven fabric.
Wear a wide-brimmed hat that protects head, face, ears and neck. If a baseball cap is worn, make sure to use sunscreen on ears and neck. Wear UV-protective sunglasses with 99%-100% UV absorption.
Seek SHADE.
During peak sun hours (10-4pm) seek shade. Shadow rule- if your shadow is shorter than you, the sun’s rays are at their strongest and you should seek shade. Encourage children to play in shaded areas, especially during peak sun hours.

Use a sunscreen of SPF 15+ and apply a generous amount (about a palmful) and apply 30 minutes before going outside.

Reapply Sunscreen every 90 minutes or after swimming, towel drying or perspiring, even if the label says the product is waterproof. Don’t forget the lips and ears- both areas can burn just as easily!
Strongly discourage the use of tanning beds.
* Information taken from the Massachusetts Melanoma Foundation http://www.massmelanoma.org/ and American Cancer Society http://www.cancer.org/
Teach Your Children the Meaning of SHADE
Sunglasses. Always wear sunglasses with UV ray protection
Hats. Always wear a wide brim hat made from a close weave fabric
Always wear protective clothing, long sleeved shirts and pants
During the peak sun hours of 10 - 4 reduce exposure to the sun -stay in the shade
Every 90 minutes reapply sun block with at least a SPF of 15

Adult Sun Safety

Skin Cancer and Melanoma Facts
Cancer of the skin is the most common form of all cancer accounting for more than 50% of all cancers.
More than 1 million cases of nonmelanoma skin cancer are found in this country each year.
During 2005, the American Cancer Society estimates that about 59,600 new melanomas will be diagnosed in the United States.
About 79 percent of the new skin cancer cases will be basal cell carcinoma, 15 percent will be squamous cell carcinoma, and 5 percent will be invasive melanoma. The other 1 percent will represent rare types of skin cancer, such as Merkel cell carcinoma, adnexal carcinoma(s), dermatofibroma fibrosarcoma protuberans, etc.
Both basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma have a better than 95 percent cure rate if detected and treated early.
There will be about 105,750 new cases of melanoma in 2005 – 46,170 in situ (noninvasive) and 59,580 invasive (33,580 men and 26,000 women).* This is a 10 percent increase in new cases of melanoma from 2004. In 2005, at current rates 1 in 34 Americans have a lifetime risk of developing melanoma and 1 in 62 Americans have a lifetime risk of developing invasive melanoma.

The American Cancer Society estimates there will be about 10,590 deaths from skin cancer in 2005- 7,770 from melanoma and 2,820 from other skin cancers.

One American dies of melanoma almost every hour (every 68 minutes). In 2005, 7,770 deaths will be attributed to melanoma – 4,910 men and 2,860 women.* Older Caucasian males have the highest mortality rates from melanoma.
The incidence of melanoma more than tripled among Caucasians between 1980 and 2003.
More than 73 percent of skin cancer deaths are from melanoma.
Melanoma is more common than any non-skin cancer among women between 25 and 29 years old.

Invasive melanoma is the fifth most common cancer in men and the sixth most common cancer in women.

1 in 5 Americans will develop some form of skin cancer during their lifetime.

Five or more sunburns double your risk of developing skin cancer.

* Information taken from the American Cancer Society http://www.cancer.org/ and American Academy of Dermatology www.aad.org

Why Skin Cancer Rates Are Rising
Increased leisure time devoted to outdoor activities.
Decrease in coverage of clothing worn.
Nation population migration to sunnier states.
Decreasing amounts of stratospheric ozone that partially protects the earth’s surface from receiving cancer-producing UV radiation.
Tanning is falsely viewed as healthy.
General aging of the population.
* Information taken from the Skin Cancer Prevention Program

Protection is Vital

Proper sun protection is the most important thing we can do to protect ourselves from skin cancer. Up to 90% of all skin cancers are caused by exposure to the sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays.While skin cancers are almost always curable when detected and treated early, the surest line of defense is to prevent them in the first place. Here are some sun-safety habits that should be part of everyone’s daily healthcare:
Limit Time in Sun
Avoid unnecessary sun exposure, especially during the sun’s peak hours (10am to 4pm).
Keep track of time spent in sunlight and do not stay in an unshaded spot for a long stretch of time.
Seek the Shade
Always seek the shade.
Be aware that sunlight bounces off reflective surfaces and can reach you even under an umbrella or tree.
Cover Up
Cover up with clothing. Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants. Tightly woven fabrics and dark colors, such as deep blue and black or bright colors such as orange and red offer the best protection. Change than to then if you can see light through fabrics, then the material is not protecting against harmful UV rays. Water also reduces fabrics ability to protect against UVrays.
Wear a broad-brimmed hat, which protects head, face, ears and neck. A 3-4 inch brim that extends around the hat is best. If opting for a baseball cap or visor, be sure to use sunscreen as the lower face, neck and ears are left exposed.
Wear UV-blocking sunglasses that wraparound or have large frames. Eyelids and the sensitive skin around your eyes are common sites for skin cancer and sun-induced aging. The use of sunglasses also helps reduce the risk of cataracts later in life.
Use Sunscreen
Wear a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or higher.

Use sunscreen that blocks both UVA and UVB rays.

Apply generously to all exposed skin. The average adult should use approximately one ounce of sunscreen per application. Not using the proper amount will reduce the product’s SPF and protection received.
Be sure to cover often-missed spots- lips, ears, around eyes, neck, scalp, hands and feet.
Choose products that suit your skin and activity level. Sunscreens come in lotion, gel, spray, cream and stick forms. Also products are available in water resistant, sweat proof, sport proof, fragrance-free, hypoallergenic or in sensitive skin formulas.
Avoid Tans
Avoid tanning parlors and artificial tanning devices. The UV radiation emitted by indoor tanning lamps is many times more damaging than natural sunlight.
Tanning is the skins response to the sun’s damaging rays.
Examine Your Skin
Examine your skin from head to toe every month.
Have a professional skin examination annually.
* Some information taken from the Skin Cancer Foundation www.skincancer.org

Sunless Tanning For those people who wish to have a “healthy-looking” tan, there are alternatives. For instance, we recommend sunless tanning products to our patients because it allows them to achieve an instant, natural-looking tan without streaking or orange color. This product is all-natural and has a pleasant odor and in no way contributes to increasing the risk of developing skin cancers.

Know the Intensity of UV RaysUV Radiation is more intense under certain time frames or conditions.
Such as:
From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
When there is a lack of thick cloud cover
From mid-spring through mid-fall
At higher altitudes
Reflective surfaces, such as water and glass can direct additional UV rays toward people

Suggested Guidelines for Outdoor Work or Recreation
1. For outdoor labor occurring on sunny days, especially between 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., staff is encouraged to:
Work in shaded areas where practical
Wear full-body coverage clothing, including: full-brimmed hats, long-sleeve shirts and full-length pants made of tightly woven fabric that is lightweight.
Wear full-spectrum sunglasses- that protect from UVA and UVB rays.
Apply SPF of 15+ at least 30 minutes before going outside.
Use lip balm that has a SPF of at least 15.
2. Sun Protection training and materials should be provided to staff encouraging them to practice sun safety while either on the job or engaging in any outdoor pastimes.3. These guidelines should be communicated and reinforced to employees through verbal reminders, posters, signs, pamphlets, notice, payroll stuffers, newsletter, and meetings.
*Guidelines taken from Sun Safety Kit provided by Skin Cancer Prevention Program


All information provided by The SHADE Foundation 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006. All Rights Reserved.
The SHADE Foundation is a non-profit organization.
10510 N. 92nd Street, Suite 100
Scottsdale AZ 85258
http://www.shadefoundation.org/