Monthly Health Focus

July 2008 - Sun Safety Month

It's natural to enjoy all kinds of outdoor activities! The Sun Safety Alliance (SSA) encourages you to be safe by following these sun-safety tips year-round to help prevent serious skin damage—and possibly skin cancer—later!
                                   

                                  Sun Safety Tips
• Keep in mind the sun is strongest between 10 am and 2 pm.
• Always wear protective clothing when outside and wear clothing that's
dark and tightly woven.
• Wear clothing that's dark and tightly woven.
• Wear a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses.
• Remember that UV rays bounce off sand, snow, concrete, and water.
• Do not use sun tanning beds.
• Keep very young children (6 months or less) out of the sun.
• Sunscreens need to be applied liberally and evenly over all exposed areas.
• Apply a sunscreen with a SPF of 15 or higher whenever you're outdoors. To
achieve adequate UV protection you should use products that provide
broad spectrum protection, which means protection against both UVB and
UVA rays. For broad spectrum protection, look for products that provide
an SPF of at least 15 and contain ingredients like Avobenzone (Parsol
1789) or zinc oxide.
• For children, the SSA recommends sunscreen with an SPF 30 or higher.
• Apply sunscreen before going outdoors and reapply often.
• Reapply sunscreen after swimming, perspiring, and toweling off.
• Provide complete sunscreen coverage for your skin (including neck, ears
and lips!).
• For people that are bald or with thin or thinning hair, apply sunscreen to
the scalp as well.
• And remember stay in the shade whenever possible!
July 2008 - Sun Safety Month

“Source: 2008 National Health Observances, National Health Information Center, Office of Disease Prevention
and Health Promotion, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC.” and
http://www.sunsafetyalliance.org/