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According to the Academy of Dermatology, almost one in five Americans is expected to develop some type of skin cancer in his or her lifetime. Each year, more than one million new cases are diagnosed in the United States and over 10,000 people will die from this disease each year.

With the thinning of the ozone layer and the multitude of artificial tanning salons, skin cancer is now a year-round danger. The National Institutes of Health and the World Health Organization report that both UVA (which deeply penetrate the skin and cause the most genetic damage) and UVB (the rays that burn) rays can cause cancer.

One way to maintain healthy skin is to avoid tanning salons. Indoor tanning salons claim that their method of tanning, by artificial sun, is safer than natural tanning because they mainly use UVA rays and limit the exposure with timers. A Dartmouth Medical School study of close to 900 skin cancer patients found that using any tanning device increased the risk of one type skin cancer by 150 percent and other types by 50 percent.

For exposure to the natural sun, or time outdoors, sunscreen is the key to avoiding sunburn or sun damage. Sunscreen is a chemical barrier that helps prevent UV radiation from reaching the skin. Also, when choosing a sunscreen, it is important that you purchase one with combined ingredients that protect against both UVA and UVB rays. Along with this protection, look for a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or higher to ensure adequate protection. Sunscreen should be applied 30 minutes prior to sun exposure in order to allow the protection to fully protect the sin. Then, reapply every one to two hours, after swimming and after heaving sweating (even if your sunscreen is labeled waterproof).

Along with sunscreen, when outdoors cover your skin. Dark colored clothing will block more UV rays than thinner, light colored fabrics. Wear a hat to protect your eyes and face. UV-blocking sunglasses with wraparound frames provide added protection to your eyelids and the skin around your eyes. Good sunglasses also help reduce the risk of developing cataracts.

If your plan is to spend the day in the sun, whether at a ball game or the beach, consider a UV protection umbrella that offers the best UV protection. More information on different types of UV protection umbrellas can be found at http://www.UV-Blocker.com.

Over years of exposure to the skin, the sun can have an effect on the skin that can cause premature aging, skin cancer as well as other skin changes. Prolonged exposure to the sun is linked to many skin changes that were commonly believed to be due to aging, like easy bruising.

Extended UV exposure (from sunbathing or tanning) can cause skin texture changes like thick skin in course wrinkles (cutis rhomboidalis nuchae) or thinning of the skin causing fine wrinkles, easy bruising and even skin tearing. Blood vessel changes lead to bruising in sun-exposed areas with only minor trauma. But the sun also can create the appearance of tiny blood vessels (telangioctasias) in the skin, especially on the face.

Another noticeable sun-induced change to your skin are color changes. Specifically, the skin will produce brown spots (solar lentigos). This condition is sometimes referred to as freckles and those with light-skin are more prone to this. However, large freckles (sometimes referred to as liver spots) can be found on the back of hands, chest, to developing melanoma.

Red, scaly lesions, especially on the face, ears and back of the shoulders, arms and upper back. Small white spots (guttate hypomelanosis) on the legs, back of hands and arms are also caused by UV exposure along with red areas (poikiloderma of Civatte) on the side of the neck.

Moles are another condition that is usually seen in areas of the skin exposed to the sun. Although it is normal to see develop new moles from childhood through young adulthood, the sun stimulates their formation. In most cases, moles are normal. However, atypical moles, which develop in areas not exposed to thee sun, are larger and more irregular than a normal mole. These serve as an indicator that these moles may be prone hand, are a pre-cancerous skin change called actinic keratoses. This skin change can also appear on the lips (usually the lower lip) and is called actinic cheilitis. Actinic keratoses is considered premalignant because 1 in 100 cases per year will develop into squamous cell carcinoma, which is another type of skin cancer.

Because these skin conditions are all caused by exposure to the sun and its dangerous UV rays, it’s essential that every part of your body is protected against skin damage. Along with effective SPF sunscreen, it’s important that your lips are protected as well. There are several lip treatments with SPF that work very well in preventing damage from the sun. Hats and UV protection umbrellas are extremely effective in blocking dangerous UV rays and preventing skin damage, skin cancer and melanoma.

More information on different types of UV protection umbrellas can be found at http://www.UV-Blocker.com.

When considering a sunscreen to purchase, one of the most important factors to look for is the correct SPF. SPF, or Sun Protection Factor, is a laboratory measure of the effectiveness of sunscreen. The higher the SPF, the more protection against UVB a sunscreen offers.

Specifically, the SPF is the amount of UV radiation required to cause sunburn on the skin with the sunscreen on relative to going without sunscreen. For example, wearing sunscreen with SPF 50 means that your skin will not burn until it has been exposed to 50 times the amount of solar energy that would cause sunburn.

This amount of solar energy depends not only on the amount of time you spend in the sun but also the specific time of day you are exposed to the sun’s rays. This is due to the sun’s radiation passing through more of the Earth’s atmosphere, early morning and late afternoon, before it gets to you. So, the protection from a particular sunscreen depends on factors like skin type, the frequency of sunscreen application, particular outdoor activities and the amount of sun screen that has been absorbed by the skin.

The better sunscreens are designed to protect against both UVA and UVB rays. The best protection is provided by products that contain zinc oxide, avobenzone and ecamsule. With these ingredients, most are protected against the strongest rays and have the best SPF rating.

SPF protection is not only available in lotions that are applied directly to the skin but also in specially made clothing and other tools. A UV protection umbrella offers significant UPF (Ultra Protection Factor) protection. This provides even better protection against skin cancer and melanoma. More information on different types of UV protection umbrellas can be found at http://www.UV-Blocker.com.