Spring Break
Fun Days, Harmful Rays
Burn Or Tan, Everyone Is At Risk For Skin Cancer
Liz Connelly
Issue date: 5/2/08 Section: Focus
Summer vacation is only a couple weeks away. For some people this means getting a nice tan at the beach. For others it means getting sunburned multiple times before the tan finally shows through. No matter how easily you tan, skin cancer is a disease everyone is at risk for.
According to the National Cancer Institute, there are over 1 million new cases of nonmelanoma skin cancer in the United States each year and the rates are rising. Although the idea of skin cancer can be scary, there are ways to enjoy the beach, get your tan, and still stay safe.
"It is very important to wear at least SPF 15, but 30 is recommended," said Kelley LaFleur, a nurse practitioner from UConn Student Health Services. "It is important to reapply every one-and-a-half to two hours or after you go in the water to stay protected while you are in the sun."
If you are used to using tanning oils, try to find one with an SPF of 15. Although most have an SPF of 10 or lower, such as Coppertone's Lotion SPF 4, an SPF of 15 will give you much more protection, and still allow you to tan.
"I love to go to the beach in the summer to tan and relax," said Laura Fasy, a 4th-semester communications major. "I'm not really a fan of sunscreen, but I try to wear SPF 15 just to stay on the safe side."
According to Dr. Kenneth Kraemer, of the National Cancer Institute, "There is a shadow rule of sun protection. It's called 'short shadow seek shade.' The reason is that when your shadow is short, the sun is above your head, and you have to protect yourself," he said.
This means that in those "prime tanning hours" from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., it is the most important time to wear protection. But as the sun goes down, the UV rays have to travel through more of the atmosphere which gives you some protection from the sun, so although you should still stay protected, the sun rays are safer as the sun goes down.
If you are looking for ways to keep protected there are plenty of ways along with applying suntan lotion regularly. Wearing protective clothing, such as long sleeves and hats can be very beneficial. Although the summer months are known for their high temperatures, wearing a light and breezy tunic with long sleeves will keep you cool and protect you from UV rays.
Hats can range from the large sun hats that some women wear, to just a regular baseball cap. Both will protect your face and head from getting burned.
Another to protect yourself is bringing an umbrella to the beach. An umbrella will provide shade. This will allow you to take a break from the sun for a while without having to go indoors.
Even when you are in the shade it is still important to wear your sunscreen. According to LaFleur, even though you are in the shade you can still be affected by the reflected light coming off from either the sand or the water.
All of these are ideas are simple and take barely anytime at all to do. So to stay safe this vacation and keep these safety tips in mind.
Contact Liz Connelly at
Elizabeth.Connelly@UConn.edu.
According to the National Cancer Institute, there are over 1 million new cases of nonmelanoma skin cancer in the United States each year and the rates are rising. Although the idea of skin cancer can be scary, there are ways to enjoy the beach, get your tan, and still stay safe.
"It is very important to wear at least SPF 15, but 30 is recommended," said Kelley LaFleur, a nurse practitioner from UConn Student Health Services. "It is important to reapply every one-and-a-half to two hours or after you go in the water to stay protected while you are in the sun."
If you are used to using tanning oils, try to find one with an SPF of 15. Although most have an SPF of 10 or lower, such as Coppertone's Lotion SPF 4, an SPF of 15 will give you much more protection, and still allow you to tan.
"I love to go to the beach in the summer to tan and relax," said Laura Fasy, a 4th-semester communications major. "I'm not really a fan of sunscreen, but I try to wear SPF 15 just to stay on the safe side."
According to Dr. Kenneth Kraemer, of the National Cancer Institute, "There is a shadow rule of sun protection. It's called 'short shadow seek shade.' The reason is that when your shadow is short, the sun is above your head, and you have to protect yourself," he said.
This means that in those "prime tanning hours" from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., it is the most important time to wear protection. But as the sun goes down, the UV rays have to travel through more of the atmosphere which gives you some protection from the sun, so although you should still stay protected, the sun rays are safer as the sun goes down.
If you are looking for ways to keep protected there are plenty of ways along with applying suntan lotion regularly. Wearing protective clothing, such as long sleeves and hats can be very beneficial. Although the summer months are known for their high temperatures, wearing a light and breezy tunic with long sleeves will keep you cool and protect you from UV rays.
Hats can range from the large sun hats that some women wear, to just a regular baseball cap. Both will protect your face and head from getting burned.
Another to protect yourself is bringing an umbrella to the beach. An umbrella will provide shade. This will allow you to take a break from the sun for a while without having to go indoors.
Even when you are in the shade it is still important to wear your sunscreen. According to LaFleur, even though you are in the shade you can still be affected by the reflected light coming off from either the sand or the water.
All of these are ideas are simple and take barely anytime at all to do. So to stay safe this vacation and keep these safety tips in mind.
Contact Liz Connelly at
Elizabeth.Connelly@UConn.edu.
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