Summer is here and it’s time to enjoy the great outdoors. However, last month was National Skin Cancer Awareness month and hopefully you are taking precautions to be #SkinSmart. Coolibar and ACS have put together some Tips & Tricks to Prevent Skin Cancer for the #SkinSmart campaign and I want to share them with you.
Tips & Tricks to Prevent Skin Cancer
- Teach kids that being safe in the sun is as important as wearing a bike helmet! Limiting sun exposure now helps prevent skin cancer in the future.
- Make sure to wear lightweight clothing that is tightly woven (t-shirts do NOT block UV rays!), and contains a UV protection factor of 50.
- Keep sunscreen and a hat in your gym bag, stroller or diaper bag so it¹s always accessible when needed.
- Apply sunscreen 15-30 minutes BEFORE going out in the sun, and remember to reapply to exposed areas every two hours, and more often after swimming or sweating.
- Take regular breaks from the sun especially between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., when UV rays are strongest, and make sure to drink lots of water. Set your phone¹s alarm for reminders.
- Wearing a wide-brim hat provides extra coverage to the neck and shoulders. Every inch of hat brim can lower your lifetime risk of skin cancer by 10%.
- Wear a swim shirt specifically designed for water activities while at the pool or beach. These provide maximum sun protection, cover a large amount of exposed skin, and dry quickly so they are great for trips.
- Wear sunglasses. In addition to protecting eyes from UV exposure, another cancer risk, the right sunglasses offer impact protection, and reduce reflection if you are participating in any rigorous activities.
It’s easy to find great clothing and accessories that will ensure you are protected by the sun’s harmful UV rays. Coolibar sent me the ZnO Island Tunic Dress to try out and I have to admit, I fell in love as soon as I put it on! It’s the perfect beach cover up that doubles as a fashionable dress to wear for a beach side snack at your favorite restaurant. I plan on getting a lot of use out of the dress this summer. It’s such lightweight material it’s almost hard to believe that it’s UPF 50+!
You can find a huge selection of great UPF 50+ clothing at Coolibar that will help protect you and your family this summer!
What do you do to protect your skin?
About Coolibar
Coolibar is the most recommended and tested sun protective clothing company in the United States. Based in Minneapolis, the company was founded in 2001 to bring Australia¹s world-leading approaches to sun protection to the American market and beyond by producing and selling sun protective apparel for active families through catalog and online. Dedicated to the highest quality sun protective clothing, hats and accessories, Coolibar guarantees UPF 50+ ratings for the life of their garments. Each garment is developed with sun protection as the number one priority with a full line of proprietary SUNTECT® fabrics. Coolibar has been recognized by the Skin Cancer Foundation, the American Academy of Dermatology and the Melanoma International Foundation for effective sun protection. Coolibar Cares, the company¹s giving back initiative, supports programs such as SunAWARE, School Sun Hat program, Doctor Connect, the AAD Camp Discovery for sun sensitive children as well as athlete sponsorships and product donations. For information about Coolibar, go to www.coolibar.com or call 1-800-926-6509. You can also follow us on FacebookTwitter, Pinterest and Instagram.
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Coolibar.
Love the dress and I am going to check it out. Good Tips and Tricks also
Great tips! I agree that T-shirts won’t block UV rays, especially white ones. They have UV protection about 7 SPF and when wet, the protection is about 3 SPF. Even beach umbrellas won’t prevent sun burn. Sand will reflect about 17 % of UV reflection which makes us still vulnerable. Also, when it is cloudy outside, we should apply sunscreen because up to 80 % of UV rays will come through the clouds.