One Way Every Day: May 28 (Day 89) Slip, Slop, Slap & Wrap

Today's post highlights something that each of us can do for ourselves and our loved ones! Make sure you pass this information to everyone you know... you may save a life!

The National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention Encourages Everyone to Protect Your Skin Today and Every Day. The Friday before Memorial Day is declared “Don’t Fry Day" as a way to encourage Sun Safety Awareness. Here is a great way to remember to protect your skin....“Slip! Slop! Slap!…and Wrap” — slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher, slap on a hat, and wrap on sunglasses.

Did you know that there are more cases of skin cancer each year than cases of breast, colon, lung and prostrate cancers combined! That adds up to more than one million Americans getting skin cancer annually.
The statistics show one American dies every hour from skin cancer. That is a very sobering statistic!

To help reduce the rising rates of skin cancer, the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention has designated the Friday before Memorial Day as Don't Fry Day. The Council's goal is to encourage sun safety awareness by reminding everyone to protect their skin while enjoying the outdoors on Don't Fry Day and every day.

What you can do

We invite you to get involved in raising sun safety awareness. Every voice, action, and effort is another step towards preventing skin cancer. Join the Don't Fry Day campaign to encourage your friends, students, neighbors, relatives, colleagues, and everyone to be safe in the sun.

The American Academy of Dermatology has a great resource available that includes instructions on how to do a Skin Cancer Self-examination and body mole mapping. Click here for .pdf file. It also includes tips for sun safety. Print it out (it's only 2 pages) and give a copy to your family and friends or forward them the link to the file and they can print it out for themselves.

To minimize your risk of skin cancer, the Academy recommends that everyone Be Sun Smart®:

◦Generously apply a broad-spectrum water-resistant sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of at least 30 to all exposed skin. “Broad-spectrum” provides protection from both ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) rays. Re-apply approximately every two hours, even on cloudy days, and after swimming or sweating.

◦Wear protective clothing, such as a long-sleeved shirt, pants, a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses, where possible.

◦Seek shade when appropriate, remembering that the sun's rays are strongest between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. If your shadow is shorter than you are, seek shade.

◦Protect children from sun exposure by playing in the shade, using protective clothing, and applying sunscreen.

◦Use extra caution near water, snow and sand as they reflect the damaging rays of the sun which can increase your chance of sunburn.

◦Get vitamin D safely through a healthy diet that may include vitamin supplements. Don't seek the sun.

◦Avoid tanning beds. Ultraviolet light from the sun and tanning beds can cause skin cancer and wrinkling. If you want to look like you've been in the sun, consider using a sunless self-tanning product, but continue to use sunscreen with it.

◦Check your birthday suit. If you notice anything changing, growing, or bleeding on your skin, see a dermatologist. Skin cancer is very treatable when caught early.