Sun Safety Tips from the American Cancer Society
- Limit direct exposure to the sun between the hours of 10 am and 4 pm.
- Look for shade, especially in the middle of the day.
- Teach children the shadow rule: the sun's rays are at their strongest if your shadow is shorter than you.
- Wear protective clothing.
- Use a sunscreen of a sun protection factor (SPF) 15 or higher, even on hazy or overcast days.
- Wear a hat with a brim of at least two to three inches all around.
- Wear sunglasses with 99-100 percent UV absorption.
Sunscreen Facts
- Sunscreen provides some, not total, protection from the sun's UV rays. For example, an SPF 15 provides one minute of UVB ray protection for every 15 minutes spent in the sun. So, spending two hours in the sun wearing SPF 15 sunscreen is the same as spending eight minutes totally unprotected.
- Some (not all) cosmetic products, such as foundations and lipsticks, can provide sunscreen protection. (Check the labels.)
- Most sunscreen products expire within two to three years.
