How to have fun outside, staying safe from sun rays

GOLDEN TRIANGLE, Miss. (WCBI) –  It’s spring break week and it’s time to have some fun in the sun, but you want to play it safe when you’re outdoors, especially when it comes to protecting your skin.

Having fun in the sun with your friends during spring break is great, but remember the sun is not always your friend.

While you may want to get an early start on your tan, the same rays that can give you that “golden glow” can also give you skin cancer.

But how do you know if you’re at risk?

Dermatologist Dr. Phillip Hooker said one of the most commonly asked questions is:

Can all ethnicities get skin cancer?

“Most of the skin cancers that we see are related to sun exposure and doesn’t matter really what your skin color is because we see it in all colors but the fairer you are and the more you tend to sunburn that means you are getting sun damage and you are at more at risk for skin cancer,” said Hooker.

And it’s important to know what ages can develop skin cancer.

“They are very very common at all ages we see skin cancer in people as young as their 20’s especially if you’ve been in tanning beds or sunburned a lot in your life and we see a lot more young people than we use to,” said Hooker.

And that’s why people are switching to safer options.

Camryn Baddley owner of Tanology does spray tans all the time and some of her clients prefer spray tans over tanning beds for their health.

“I have a client who has sensitive skin so she is very sensitive to getting into tanning beds, and she doesn’t like to, so she comes to get spray tans, because it’s a lot safer, and it doesn’t cause any harm,” said Baddley.

And the most important question people have when they hear the word cancer.

Is skin cancer deadly?

“It’s usually not. The cure rate is really high on skin cancer, but people do die from skin cancer every year, but a lot of that has been reduced, and we see a lot fewer deaths now from the skin cancers we saw years ago,” said Hooker.

If you do plan on getting out in the sun, Hooker recommends you use SPF 30 or higher sunscreen to help protect your skin.

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