Melanoma Foundation - prevention

prevention

Being sunsafe

It is estimated that 80% of melanomas are due to ultraviolet light damage to the skin. Avoidance of excessive sunlight on the skin, particularly sunburn is the effective way to prevent all skin cancer including melanoma. Sense in the sun includes:

staying out of the sun in the middle of the day
wearing a hat
walking on the shady side of the street where possible
sitting under beach umbrellas or trees when out-of-doors, and
wearing loose fitting clothing with longer sleeves and legs.

Sunscreens should be used as additional protection for the skin and are very important when sunlight intensity is high, ie at the beach, in the middle of the day, and during sporting events requiring a long time exposed to the sun. A factor 30 waterproof sunscreen is best and it should be reapplied every two hours.

Children and teenagers are more at risk from sunlight damage than older people. As we get older our skin thickens and is more resistant to sunlight damage. It is particularly important for parents to ensure that young children are well protected when playing in the sunlight.