You can try the following to reduce your risk of skin cancer.
Keep to the Shade and Stay Out of the Sun When Possible
Stick to the shade or stay indoors, especially when the sun is at its peak.
Research at the CDC has highlighted the value of shade and its potential to promote sun protection through urban planning and design. Researchers collaborated with an architect in Canada to study the benefits of incorporating shade into public and private spaces, which include skin cancer prevention benefits.
Wear Sun-Protective Clothing
In addition to wearing sunscreen and seeking shade, clothing coverage — such as a wide-brimmed hat, a shade cap with a fabric flap that protects your neck, and sunglasses that block at least 99 percent of ultraviolet (UV) light — is recommended when in the sun.
Certain clothing is specifically designed for sun protection and lists an ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) on the label. The fabric often has a tighter weave than other clothing, and it may have a specialized UV-absorbent coating.
The higher the UPF (up to 50), the more an item of clothing will protect against UV rays. Some laundry detergents claim to increase the UV protection of your clothing by adding tiny crystals to them, but their effectiveness for skin cancer prevention is unclear.
Wear Sunscreen Every Day When You’re Outdoors — Whatever Skin Tone You Have
Apply sunscreen to areas that your clothing doesn’t cover, being sure to cover the face, ears, neck, tops of the feet, arms, scalp, and hairline.
Sometimes going outside during hours when the sun is at its strongest is simply unavoidable. The American Cancer Society recommends using a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 and suggests reapplying every two hours or more often after swimming or sweating.
Choosing a sunscreen can be challenging. In addition to seeking ingredients that support skin cancer prevention, it’s important that the act of wearing sunscreen isn’t a negative one. Otherwise, you may be less likely to use it.
Choosing Sunscreens for Darker Skin Tones
Many sunscreens have chalky textures or leave white residue, which can make wearing it unpleasant for those with darker skin tones. The experience of wearing sunscreen was top of mind for the entrepreneur Shontay Lundy when she founded her brand, Black Girl Sunscreen.
“It’s the No. 1 reason why women of color aren’t wearing sunscreen,” says Lundy. “Back in 2016 when we launched, most sunscreens didn’t address this issue.”
Black Girl Sunscreen is broad-spectrum, SPF 30, and dries completely clear, eliminating the chalky white sheen that other sunscreens can leave behind. Lundy and the Black Girl Sunscreen team have also partnered with melanoma organizations to help educate and advocate for skin cancer prevention.
There are just a few biologically active ingredients available to any sunscreen brand, so Lundy says it’s the inactive ingredient list where companies can differentiate and tell a story.
Lundy incorporates inactive ingredients into her formula, such as avocado, jojoba, carrot juice, and sunflower oil, to moisturize and protect the skin.
“We want to make it clear that our consumer was never an afterthought,” says Lundy. “They were always at the forefront.”
Avoid Tanning Beds and Sunlamps
Using tanning beds, tanning lamps, and tanning booths, as well as any other artificial UV radiation sources, can dramatically increase your risk of skin cancer. Avoid them.
There is substantial evidence linking artificial tanning to skin cancer, according to the American Academy of Dermatology Association. Both the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the World Health Organization have labeled UV light from indoor tanning as a known carcinogen.
Indoor tanning increases the risk of squamous cell carcinoma by 58 percent and basal cell carcinoma by 24 percent. And using a tanning bed before 20 years of age increases the risk of melanoma by 47 percent. The risk of melanoma increases with each session.
Plus, women under 30 years of age who use indoor tanning are six times more likely than those who don’t to develop melanoma.
Also, the UV lamps used to dry certain types of nail polish, like gel or shellac, emit less UV light than those in tanning beds. Even though they have a low risk of skin cancer, some experts recommend applying sunscreen to your hands before use.
Try Dietary Preventive Methods
Research has found that taking the vitamin B3 supplement called nicotinamide is linked to a lower risk of three types of skin cancers in people who’d already had skin cancer. The number of previous skin cancers affected how much nicotinamide reduced the risk.