Baylor Dallas News

More than 1 million cases of skin cancer are diagnosed each year, making it the most common cancer in the United States. One in five Americans will develop skin cancer sometime in their lives.

To help prevent skin cancer, the American Cancer Society (ACS) suggests the phrase “Slip! Slop! Slap” … and Wrap!” to help people remember the four key ways to protect themselves from UV radiation every day.

• SLIP on a shirt: Tightly woven dark fabrics provide the best sun protection, and some clothing today is even made with built-in ultraviolet (UV) protection.
• SLOP on sunscreen: Choose sunscreen with an SPF (sun protection factor) of 15 or higher.
• SLAP on a hat: A large-brimmed had (instead of a baseball cap) will provide the best protection for your face, neck, ears and scalp.
• WRAP on sunglasses: If possible, wear wrap-around sunglasses to block UV rays.

Alan Menter, M.D., chief of dermatology at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas and chair of dermatology research at Baylor Research Institute, offers these additional tips:

• Avoid peak hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., when the sun is strongest Limiting your time in the sun and avoiding its harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays is imperative all year round. But in the summer, it’s especially important to remember to protect your skin. 
• Know your skin type. If you are fair-skinned, never tan and always burn, you need to be ultra-cautious in the sun. If you have darker skin and tan more easily, you can tolerate more exposure. But no matter what your skin type, limit your sun exposure and always wear sunscreen.
• Check your skin. Regular self-exams are a good way to catch any new growths or changes to existing moles or other marks on your body. Visible skin changes are often the first sign that you may have skin cancer.

For information on skin self-exams, click here.

Sources:

1 million cases statistic: http://www.skincancer.org

slip, slop, slap, wrap info: http://www.cancer.org