Sun-Safe Way: CA Center



Sun-Safe Way

Do PA -- The Sun-Safe Way

Daily physical activity (PA) is commonly understood as an essential part of a healthy lifestyle. Among other benefits, especially for young people, PA is linked to increased alertness and improved self-esteem, independence, and scholastic achievement.

As individuals do more walking and other activity, they will likely increase the amount of time they spend outdoors. Thus, if certain precautions are not employed, people may increase their risk for getting skin cancer, even while they are exercising to lower their chances for experiencing other health problems such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.

Skin cancer, chiefly caused by exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation in sunlight, is considered epidemic by leading health experts. Skin cancer is by far the most common cancer in California. One of every five California residents is expected to eventually get this disease.

UV rays also produce blistering sunburns, premature aging (wrinkles and blotches), cataracts, and a weakened immune system. In 2000, the federal government officially classified solar radiation (including UV rays) as a “known human carcinogen,” the same group that includes these known cancer-causing elements: arsenic, asbestos, radon, and tobacco smoke.

Both sunburns and tanning increase the likelihood that a person will eventually get skin cancer. UV rays linked to skin cancer development are more intense (destructive) under certain time frames or conditions:

From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Lack of thick cloud cover
From mid-spring through mid-fall
At higher altitudes

Fortunately, there are multiple strategies for engaging in outdoor activities in a sun-safe manner to prevent skin cancer while still receiving the health benefits of physical movement:

Wear a wide-brimmed hat (at least 4-inch brim) or a baseball-type hat with back and side flaps that produces a shadow covering the eyes, ears, nose, face, and back of the neck.
Wear tightly woven, loose-fitting clothing that covers as much of the body as possible.
Reduce sun exposure from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., when UV rays are strongest.
Find shade (trees, physical structures) to shield you, especially from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Use sunglasses that provide 100 percent UVA and UVB (broad-spectrum) protection.
Liberally apply sunscreen to exposed skin fifteen minutes before going outdoors. The sunscreen container should indicate a sun protection factor (SPF) rating of 15 or greater and should state that it provides broad-spectrum (UVA/UVB) protection. Sunscreen should be reapplied at least every two hours.

Caution! Don’t depend on sunscreen alone to protect children and adults from skin cancer. Instead, rely on a combination of all the tips listed above.

This item prepared (November 2006) by the California Department of Public Health, Skin Cancer Prevention Program (SCPP). Contact SCPP at (916) 449-5393 or visit http://www.cdph.ca.gov/ps/cdic/CPNS/skin/.

The Sun-Safe Way [PDF]