Why Use Sunscreen?

1.   Using sunscreen every day can help reduce your chances of developing skin cancers, including Melanoma. By reducing the amount of harmful radiation from the sun that your skin absorbs, your chances of developing potentially disfiguring skin cancers is greatly reduced. According to Pharmacy Times Magazine (April 1987) "Using a sunscreen daily will reduce a persons chances of skin cancer by 78%!" And the earlier you start using it the better. The solar radiation that you absorb is cumulative throughout your entire life! That means that the radiation that you absorbed in childhood is still affecting you in adulthood. Most of the radiation that you will absorb from the sun during your life will not come from long days at the beach. Instead the biggest part of this radiation (up to 75%) comes from "short bursts" or incidental exposure. This type of exposure happens when you are walking from the store to your car or just stepping outside to get the mail. Most people do not realize this and thus take no measures to protect themselves and their families from the sun on a day-to-day basis. Those in higher altitudes should be especially concerned as the intensity of UV radiation doubles every 5,000 feet of altitude.

By using sunscreen every day you can greatly reduce the amount of solar radiation that your skin absorbs, both from incidental exposure and from longer exposures, such as when you go outside to enjoy activities in the sunshine. Since the effects of the sun's radiation are cumulative throughout a person's life, parents should be especially concerned about their children's outdoor activities and ensuring that they are protected from the sun every day. By reducing the amount of absorbed radiation now you reduce the risk of developing skin cancer later, or the risk of reocurrence if you've already had a skin cancer.

2.    By reducing the amount of solar radiation that you absorb you can also reduce many of the visible signs of aging. Contrary to popular belief skin wrinkling and brown age spots or "liver spots" are not the result of age alone. Both of these highly visible signs of aging can be largely attributed to the effects of the sun's radiation that a person has absorbed throughout their life. These are both long-term effects and are not as quickly noticeable as a sunburn, but their causes are the same. An older person will have more wrinkles than a younger person largely due to the fact that they have had more time to absorb so much more radiation. It is not just coincidence that the majority of wrinkles and age spots appear on the face and hands. After all, these are the areas of the body that are exposed to the sun's radiation nearly every day of your life. Using sunscreen every day will not only help to prevent any further visible signs of aging, but it may also help to reduce the amount and severity of the wrinkles and age spots or freckles that you already have. 

Is your glass too full? You can think of your skin's ability to absorb solar radiation as being like a drinking glass. The more this glass is filled the greater the likelihood of premature aging of your skin, meaning more wrinkles and age spots. When this glass overflows you have received too much solar radiation and are at serious risk for developing skin cancer, including Melanoma. Every person's glass is a slightly different size depending on their genetics. That means that some people, especially those who have naturally darker complexions, can absorb more solar radiation before they are in danger of developing skin cancers. But every person only gets one glass! How quickly your glass is filled depends on how much exposure to the sun your skin receives. Every minute that you are in the sun means another drop or two in the glass. Whether you are sunbathing on the beach or just stepping outside to get something out of your car, every single second that you are in the sun counts, for your entire life. Did you know that the national average of incidental exposure time per week is 10 hours for men and 8 hours for women? That's more sun exposure in an average week than most people get in a whole day at the beach!  Protect yourself, and your family.

Who Needs Lifeguard. . . ?