With growing awareness regarding the role that the sun plays in developing skin cancers, including melanoma, you’d think that most of us would remember the sunscreen. Turns out that isn’t necessarily the case.
A recent article maintains that most sun seekers aren’t slopping on enough sunscreen to protect them from the harmful rays of the sun. According to Dr Jason Rivers, a clinical professor of dermatology at the University of British Columbia, “The sun hasn’t changed dramatically in 20 years, but there’s been an increase in the way people expose themselves to the sun.”
The risk of developing melanoma and other skin cancers can be reduced by covering up, staying in the shade during the hottest hours of the day and just ensuring enough sunscreen is used when outdoors — even if it is cloudy or the middle of winter. A 120-ml bottle of sunscreen is enough to provide full-body protection to one person four times – use a full shot glass to cover the entire body every time you venture outside. “At the end of the summer, if you’ve got a half a bottle left, you’re probably not using enough,” says Nina MacDonald, a nurse with Vancouver General and Health Sciences Centre.
