The CDC gives #5 and 6 of their summertime UV protection
strategies.
5.
Sunscreen—do you know which to buy? Going to buy sunscreen can be a
perplexing task. What does SPF
mean? Can’t I use the old sunscreen at
home? According to the CDC, most
sunscreen products contain chemicals which absorb, reflect or scatter UV
rays. Different products have different
ingredients. SPF (Sun protection factor)
rating tells how effective the product is at blocking UV rays. A sunscreen of SPF 50 gives more protection
than a sunscreen of SPF 15. Sunscreen
should be reapplied every two hours and after you swim or sweat. Expiration dates tell us whether the product
is still effective. If a sunscreen
doesn’t show an expiration date, its effectiveness is three years. However, high temperatures (inside a car
during a hot summer day) shorten the effectiveness of sunscreen.
6. What about tanning beds? According to the CDC, “indoor tanning has
been linked with skin cancers including melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and
cancers of the eye.” CDC. Skin Cancer
Prevention, More information at http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/skin/basic_info/prevention.htm
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