One in five Americans will develop skin cancer. A person’s risk of the disease doubles if he or she has had five or more sunburns. It came in the report of the Mayo Clinic Health Letter.
In the same study, the researchers found that just 60% of the cancers they identified occurred on skin frequently exposed to the sun.
Two types of ultraviolet (UV) light are implicated in skin cancers. One is UVA which penetrates deeper into the skin.It impairs the immune defenses. It is more responsible for melanoma, the most deadly type of skin cancer. The other one,UVB exposure causes sunburn as well as squamous and basal cell skin cancers.
The report offers the following tips for effective sun protection :
1 ) Apply sunscreen 30 minutes before going outside, even if the weather is cloudy or hazy.
2 ) Spend as little time as possible in the direct sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
3 ) Use about an ounce of sunscreen roughly a shot glass full. Reapply it in every two hours.
4 ) Always wear sunglasses and a broad-brimmed hat. Wear clothing made from tightly woven fabric to protect your skin.
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