Healthbeat: Protect skin from the sun

Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States. Most cases of melanoma, the deadliest kind of skin cancer, are caused by exposure to ultraviolet light. To lower skin cancer risk, protect skin from the sun and avoid indoor tanning.

Sun safety tips

Check the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's UV Index before spending time outdoors and plan sun protection accordingly, using the following tips:

* Seek shade, especially during midday hours.

* Cover up with clothing to protect exposed skin.

* Wear a hat with a wide brim to shade the face, head, ears and neck.

* Wear sunglasses that wrap around and block as close to 100 percent of both UVA and UVB rays as possible.

* Use sunscreen with broad spectrum (UVA and UVB) protection and sun protective factor (SPF) 15 or higher.

* Remember to reapply sunscreen at least every 2 hours and after swimming, sweating or toweling off.

Fast facts about skin cancer

* When having fun outdoors, it's easy to forget how important it is to have protection from the sun. Unprotected skin can be damaged by the sun's UV rays in as little as 15 minutes. Yet it can take as long as 12 hours for skin to show the full effect of sun exposure.

* Even if it's cool and cloudy, protection is still needed. UV rays, not the temperature, do the damage.

* Tanned skin is damaged skin. Any change in the color of skin after time outside -- whether sunburn or suntan -- indicates damage from UV rays.

* Indoor tanning exposes users to both UVA and UVB rays, which damage the skin and can lead to cancer.

* A change in skin is the most common symptom of skin cancer. This could be a new growth, a sore that doesn't heal or a change in a mole.

Anyone can get skin cancer, but some things put you at higher risk:

* A lighter natural skin color

* Family history of skin cancer

* A personal history of skin cancer

* Exposure to the sun through work and play

* A history of sunburns, especially early in life

* A history of indoor tanning

* Skin that burns, freckles, reddens easily or becomes painful in the sun

* Blue or green eyes

* Blond or red hair

* Certain types and a large number of moles

Health Beat is a weekly spotlight on a wide range of health issues. The information contained here was provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. View the CDC features online at cdc.gov/features.