Did you know that May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month? According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, 1 in 5 Americans will develope skin cancer before age 70. This statistic makes it imperative that we protect ourselves and our families from harmful sun exposure.
One of the benefits of window tint is directly related to skin cancer prevention. Because of this, we wanted to share some facts about skin cancer. In this post, we will also share some tips to prevent it.
Facts About Skin Cancer
Why should you care about skin cancer? As mentioned above, skin cancer will likely affect you or someone you know. For instance, in the US alone, more than 2 people die of skin cancer every hour. Over 9,500 people are diagnosed every year in the US. That’s a startling statistic. If you’ve had 5 or more severe sunburns, your chances of getting skin cancer increase 5 fold.
What is skin cancer? There are two kinds of skin cancer: non-melanoma and melanoma. It is estimated that 90 percent of nonmelanoma skin cancers are due to exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun. Regarding melanoma, up to 197,700 cases of melanoma are expected to be diagnosed in the U.S. in 2022. Men are twice as likely to get melanoma than women. It is important to note that most melanomas are caused by sun exposure.
You can read more facts about melanoma on the Skin Cancer Association’s website. With these facts in mind, how can you protect yourself and your family from skin cancer?
7 Tips for Skin Cancer Prevention
Some of the methods of protection are very simple. Others require planning. All are designed to minimize the sun’s impact on the skin. Here are 7 tips for skin cancer prevention.
Avoid indoor tanning: We know that UV rays contribute to cancer. Hence, avoiding tanning beds is a must. In fact, the Skin Cancer Foundation notes that “Indoor tanning devices can emit UV radiation in amounts 10 to 15 times higher than the sun at its peak intensity.” That’s a compelling reason to avoid it.
The CDC provides 5 more suggestions:
- Wear longer clothes when you know you will have higher sun exposure.
- Invest in a good pair of sunglasses, as sunlight can also cause cataracts and cancer in the eyes.
- Find shade or bring it with you.
- Wear a hat that covers your face, head, ears, and neck.
- Apply sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or higher
An extra bit of advice is to do routine checks of your entire body for any growths, holes, or spots. There is one last tip that we are big fans of: use window film or tint to protect you from harmful UV rays.
Skin Cancer and Window Tint
The Skin Cancer Foundation reported on the benefits of window tint for skin cancer prevention. In fact, they made sure to add it to their own offices in 2019. Why is it such a great choice?
Window tint can protect you from skin cancer. How does it do this? 3M Window tint blocks up to 99% of the sun’s harmful UV rays. This means that installing window tint can give you substantial protection from the sun 24/7. When it comes to sun control, window film is a great choice. Are you ready to add this incredible layer of protection to your home or office? The ClimatePro team is ready to help you pick the right tint for you. GIve us a call at (707) 569-9098 or get a free estimate here.
