Protecting Your Skin Under the Sun

Living in sunny Southern California, it’s hard not to be exposed to the sun. But as much as we enjoy spending time outdoors, prolonged exposure to the sun’s UV rays can lead to skin cancer and speed up aging.

With summer in full swing, Christina Kim, MD, director of dermatology residency, at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center offers the following tips you can use to help protect your skin from the sun.

Avoid sun exposure

“The best way to prevent a sunburn is to avoid sun exposure,” says Dr. Kim. “I tell my patients to stay out of the sun from 10 in the morning to 4 in the afternoon, which is the strongest sunlight.” If you do need to be outdoors find a place with shade.

You can also calculate how much ultraviolet (UV) exposure you are getting by using the shadow rule: A shadow that is longer than you are means UV exposure is low; a shadow that is shorter than you are means the UV exposure is high.

Other ways to protect yourself from the sun include wearing protective clothing, such as hats that cover your neck, ears, eyes and scalp; sunglasses with UV ray protection, and loose-fitting, tightly woven clothing that covers your arms and legs.

Sunscreen protection

If you are planning to be outdoors and will be exposed to the sun, make sure you protect your skin with sunscreen. “Sun protection is a preventable risk factor for skin cancer development, so I encourage sun protection,” says Dr. Kim.

She suggests using one ounce of sunscreen – that’s about the size of a golf ball – if your arms, legs, back, and face will be exposed. It’s important to read the information on the sunscreen label about its SPF value and how much protection it gives your skin. Follow the directions on the label for applying the sunscreen so it is most effective in protecting your skin from the sun's ultraviolet rays.

“Although people with darker skin don't sunburn as easily, they can still get skin cancer,” adds Dr. Kim. “So it's important to use sun protection, no matter what your skin color is.”

Sun exposure in children

Children get most of their lifetime sun exposure in their first 18 years because they spend a lot of time outdoors playing, so it’s imperative that parents start protecting their children from the sun from the beginning. “It's safest to keep babies younger than 6 months out of the sun,” says Dr. Kim. “After that, children need to be taught the importance of keeping their skin from getting sunburned.”

Get to know your skin

Skin cancer, including melanoma, is curable if spotted early. A careful skin exam may identify suspicious growths that may be cancer or growths that may develop into skin cancer (precancers). Dr. Kim recommends the following steps:

• Examine your skin once every month. Get to know your moles and birthmarks. And look for any abnormal skin growth and any change in the color, shape, size, or appearance of a skin growth.
• Check for any area of skin that does not heal after an injury.
• Have your doctor check your skin during any other health exams. Most experts recommend having your skin examined regularly.
• Bring any suspicious skin growths or changes in a mole to the attention of your doctor.

To learn more about ways you can stay healthy, visit kp.org/sunscreen. To learn more about Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center, visit kp.org/losangeles.