Protection

How to reduce your risk of developing skin cancer?

The best way to protect yourself is simply by wearing protective clothing, applying
sunscreen, wearing hats and sunglasses and avoiding the sun whenever possible
However this does not mean to change your entire lifestyle and avoid all the social
gatherings and not participate in outdoor activities.
These are just some helpful tips so you can protect your skin and stay happy and
healthy beneath the sun.

Protective clothing:

Avoid the sun between 10am - 2pm (11am - 3pm Daylight savings time)

Between these hours is when skin damage occurs faster, the sun during this time is very harsh and intense (peak UV times)
The sun light exposed contains high levels of Ultra Violet Rays [UVR]
Although it may be sunny or not you can never feel the UVR levels though the air's
temperature, hence people do burn on cloudy days

Wear a hat and UV protective sunglasses

70% of Australians have detectable sun damage by the age of 14 (i.e. sunburn etc),
therefore its very important to protect your skin at a young age to decrease the risks of developing skin cancer in later life.
The most common areas of skin cancer are the neck, ears, temples, lips, face and
nose.

Legionnaire Hats

These hats are known as Legionnaire style hats. They are very beneficial to block out the sun from reaching the most common areas of skin cancer.
They reduce the amount of UVR reaching the neck and face by 50%.
Baseball caps do assist in protecting the face however neglect to protect the neck,
thus less effective.
Ultraviolet Rays (only UVA and UVB) are also very harmful to our eyes and are able
to cause damage. It's very important that you wear 'UV protected' sunglasses as they can deflect harmful UV Rays from damaging your eyes.

The shade:

If everybody followed the sun smart tips, 90% of skin cancer could be prevented.
Over exposure to UVR is the major cause of skin cancer.
The effects of over exposure to UVR are sunburn, wrinkles (short term) and
premature aging (long term)
--> These effects are cumulative, the signs build up until your skin cannot handle it anymore. Your skin can only take so much before it develops skin cancer

The shade protects you from direct sunlight. 50% of UVR is received indirectly from
reflection
Trees are a good option for shade. Trees also provide a cooler area to relax under on
a hot day

Sunscreen:

Sunscreen protect our skin against Ultraviolet Rays
Its works through absorption and reflection. The sunscreen absorbs and reflects UV
Ray that will otherwise burn and damage the skin
SPF 30+ filters out 97% of UVB Rays
Broad Spectrum filters out 90% of UVA Rays
No sunscreen can completely protect you against UV Radiation
Make sure you watch out for the sunscreens expiration date as the effect of
sunscreen deteriorate after time
Use water resistant sunscreen when swimming or for physical activities where
sweating may occur
Sunscreen can be applied under moisuriser and make-up
A thick coat of zinc does block all UV Rays. However use in small amounts and only
on your nose, ears and lips.

Correct way to apply sunscreen:

Apply 20min before you are exposed to the sun
Apply to clean dry skin, unnecessary to rub into skin
Should be easy to cover and spread over skin
Should be re-applied every 2 hours because sunscreen has been removed due to unintentional actions such as nose blowing, sweating, swimming, misapplying etc

--> When purchasing sunscreen make sure you purchase sunscreen which is labeled "Broad spectrum" and "SPF 30+"