[Matthew Sherborne]

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Picture five of your loved ones standing in front of you. How do you feel knowing that one of these five loved ones will likely develop skin cancer during his or her life? The answer is obvious. You would do anything in your power to help him/her avoid getting skin cancer. The good news is that it can be prevented by choosing the proper sunscreen and wearing clothing that blocks the deadly UVA and UVB rays.

It’s important to use sunscreens properly to keep your skin healthy and prevent skin cancer. With all the different types of sunscreens out there, it’s essential to choose the correct SPF for you. SPF stands for “sun protection factor.” The number that follows lets you know how long you have in the sun before it’s not effective anymore. For example, SPF 15 means you can be out in the sun fifteen times longer than you normally could until you get burned.

So let’s say that with no sunscreen on, you get burned in ten minutes of being in the sun. However, if you put on a sunscreen of SPF 15, you would get fifteen times the amount of time to be out in the sun. So instead of burning in ten minutes, you would burn in 150 minutes (10x15), or in two and a half hours.

The Skin Cancer Foundation recommends an SPF 15 if you’re only going to be in the sun for a few minutes here and there. However, if you plan to be in the sun all day, whether it’s gardening, exercising, or playing Frisbee at the beach, you’ll need a sunscreen that’s alcohol-based and has a higher SPF. It’ll be more resistant to sweating.

Be sure to put on an ounce of sunscreen each application, and do it thirty minutes before you’re exposed to the sun. Even sunscreens that are waterproof may wash off, so slather on an extra ounce once you’re out of the water. In fact, it’s a safe bet to reapply the sunscreen every two hours to avoid as much skin damage as possible. The UVA rays don’t show their damage until later, so even if you don’t burn, you’re still exposing your skin to the harmful rays.

Believe it or not, the clothes you wear will also affect how much of the damaging UVA and UVB rays your body receives and not all provide the same protection. The lighter color the shirt, the less protection it will offer you. A black shirt is far preferred to a white one. Don’t be fooled by thinking you’re covering yourself up when you put on that wet t-shirt. Wet clothing reduces the SPF by fifty percent.

The material it’s made out of affects your skin’s health too. Thicker weaves are better than looser weaves. A good test is that if you can see light through the shirt, the UV rays can penetrate too. If you’re planning on being outside all day, try not to bring your old favorite shirt that’s been washed countless times. Washing and stretching the fabric also reduces a shirt’s SPF.

The thicker and darker the clothes, the better your skin will be protected from sun damage. In fact, a long-sleeve, dark denim shirt has an SPF of 1,700. Now that’s protection.