Shape Magazine
Skin Cancer
Prevention
The best way to prevent skin cancer is to protect yourself from the sun. Also, protect children from an early age. Doctors suggest that people of all ages limit their time in the sun and avoid other sources of UV radiation:
• It is best to stay out of the midday sun (from mid-morning to late afternoon) whenever you can. UV rays are strongest between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. You also should protect yourself from UV radiation reflected by sand, water, snow, and ice. UV radiation can go through light clothing, windshields, windows, and clouds.
• Use sunscreen every day. About 80 percent of the average person's lifetime sun exposure is incidental. Sunscreen may help prevent skin cancer, especially broad-spectrum sunscreen (to filter UVB and UVA rays) with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15. Remember, too that you're still exposed to UV rays on cloudy days: Even on a dark, rainy day, 20 to 30 percent of UV rays penetrate the clouds. On a cloudy day, 60 to 70 percent get through, and if it's just hazy, almost all the UV rays will reach you.
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