by Audrey Frederick

Created on: May 23, 2008

Summer Sun and Your Skin

Who does not love the sun? Summer suntans, sun bleached streaks in our hair and days at the beach enjoying the sun and water, what can be better?

Personally it sounds terrific, as long as you are prepared to protect the only skin you have from the dangerous rays of the sun.

May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month and I want to make certain that you, our favorite Helium reader, is aware of the importance of protecting your skin from the sun.

The sun does not need to be dangerous. The sun is our friend providing you are cautious about the time you spend in the sun and you use at a sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15 or more.

Year-Round Sun Protection

We are all in the habit of packing sunscreen in our bags when going to the beach, but the sun is out (in most places) 365 days a year and if you live in areas like we do, in Florida, you see the sun most every day.

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer and more than one million people are diagnosed with one form or another of skin cancer each year. More than 90 percent of the skin cancers diagnosed are from exposure to the sun.

More men than women are afflicted with melanoma and Caucasians are ten times more likely to be diagnosed than any other race.

What should you do to protect yourself? Using a sunscreen of 15 or higher whenever you plan to spend any time outdoors is the first step. Keep this in mind, whenever you are going to do any outdoor activities such as athletics, shopping, walking, gardening, jogging, picnicking or waiting for a bus.

Sunscreens are available in many forms, lotion, gel, stick, spray and cream. Many are water resistant, hypoallergenic, some are made for sensitive skin and others just for children. There is no excuse to expose the only skin you have to the dangerous rays of the sun.

A broad brimmed hat helps keep your head, neck, ears and face protected. Baseball caps protect your face, but leave your ears, neck and lower face exposed.

UV-blocking sun glasses that wrap around your face or large framed sun glasses protect your eyelids and the sensitive skin around your eyes, which is a common site for skin cancer and those awful sun induced aging wrinkles. Sun glasses help reduce the risk of cataracts later in life.

Stay out of the sun between the hours of 10 A.M. and 4 P.M. if at all possible. Do your best not to get sunburned. Believe it or not, a suntan is the skin's response to the sun's damaging rays.

Stay away from the popular tanning booths, the

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