Tips To Keep You Skin Smart for Skin Cancer Awareness
May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month. I was shocked to find out that more people have been diagnosed with skin cancer than all other cancer combined! More than 3.5 million people are diagnosed with skin cancer each year. Did you have any idea?! Living in Florida, The Sunshine State, and having fair skin my entire life basically has made me #SkinSmart. I’ve included some great tips for becoming #SkinSmart yourself.
Throughout the month of May, Coolibar will be donating $1 for every order on Coolibar.com, up to $25,000, to the American Cancer Society to join in the fight against 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 it’s 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 phone’s 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.
The Coolibar Skirted Swim Shorts are a great way for me to feel confident and stay #SkinSmart at the same time while out at the beach or public pool:
- Chlorine- and saltwater-resistant aqua
SUNTECT® fabric - Shape-preserving four-way stretch
- Contoured athletic fit
- Skirt is adjustable on one side
- Ruche at front princess seams
- Internal mesh pocket at waist
- Gripper elastic in back prevents slipping
- Inseam 7 1/2″
- Easy care: machine wash, line dry
- Imported
- Rated UPF 50+
- $69.50
For more great resources on staying #SkinSmart, visit The American Cancer Society.
Hey Jess,
I haven’t worn a swimsuit in years…I’d much rather wear something like this. Thanks for telling us about these and for the tips to protect ourselves and kids from the sun.
Hope you’re having a great day!
Cori
Hi Corina!
Normally I do not wear a suit either. Or if I do, it’s covered up w/ shorts and a t-shirt LOL. Notice that I’m wearing a tee in the image? Yeah, not happenin’!
Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Great tips, shared on twitter. I personally prefer sport sun screen with SPF 70 or higher to help protect when on beach, swimming or running. We really need to protect our selves from skin cancer, thanks for creating awareness!
Thanks Neha! We always go with the highest SPF that we can find also.
Love this layout of the blog and you have good information about sunscreen I did not know that. Thank YOU.
Thanks so much Melody!
Oops, we never apply the sunscreen until we are already in the sun. I better put this list in my swimming bag or with our swimsuits, so I don’t forget.
Unfortunately for us (or fortunately depending on how you look at it), we burn easily so it’s a MUST anytime we are outdoors.
These look great for sun and fun. My kids used to be water babies and I always made sure they had sunscreen on while out and about. I always wore a wide brimmed straw hat and a long sleeved button down cotton shirt. Many people used to ask me if I was hot. Sometimes I was but I would rather be hot than burnt by the harmful rays of the sun, which was prone to happen because of my fair skin. Great advice for those living in areas with hot, humid temperatures year round or even certain months during the year.
My oldest has vitiligo so she has to cover up as much as possible…not sure how I completely forgot to mention any of that!
I would totally wear that cute skirted swim shorts to the beach or to the pool. They are cute and look very comfortable!
These skirted shorts are so very comfortable that I ended up falling asleep in them LOL
The skirt looks so comfy!!
I should be better about wearing sun screen since I have had skin cancer.
Great tips!! Thanks for sharing
Start as early as possible with smarter sun exposure. https://youtu.be/zzLmHmChk-k
Oh wow! Thanks for sharing that video. I have never heard of SunFriend and it sounds really interesting!