Stay Sun Savvy This Spring

With spring in the air, you’ll likely be spending more time outdoors in the coming months. While the lure of the sun is tempting, it’s important to practice safe sun care habits every day. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, more than 5 million Americans are treated for skin cancer every year and it’s the most frequent cancer in women aged 25–29 years. Yet sun care myths still abound. For example, many people believe they can apply sunscreen in the morning and stay protected all day. Or because they work indoors, they think they’re not exposed to the UV rays. New research indicates otherwise. We now know that the aging UVA rays can penetrate window glass, a finding with widespread implications for most adults. Consider a recent study in JAMA Dermatology that found airline pilots are exposed to the same amount of UV radiation over the course of an hour as a 20-minute tanning bed session due to the longer UV wavelengths penetrating airplane windshields.