SPF or Sun Protection Factor plays a very important role in skin care. Everyone should be wearing a minimum of SPF 30 on their face on a daily basis to protect it from harmful UV damage.
What do the numbers beside SPF stand for? This is that amount of time you can spend outdoors multiplied by the amount of time it takes for you to burn when you’re not wearing an SPF. For example, for my fair skin tone, if I were to go outside in the blazing sunshine unprotected I would burn in approximately 7min. So if I were wearing SPF 15, I can stay out 15 times longer then it takes me to burn. Let’s do the math: 15 x 7min = 105min. I can stay outside for 105min before I have to reapply my SPF.
Not only should you be wearing SPF to keep your skin looking young and beautiful but it plays a vital role in protection against skin cancer.
There are 3 different types of skin cancer.
1.) Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC):
a. Most common (3-4x more common then SCC)
b. Rarely metastasizes or causes death
c. 2:1 male to female ratio
2.) Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC):
a. Less common then BCC but common
b. Can metatasize and/or cause death but not common
c. 2:1 male to female ratio
3.) Melanoma:
a. Least common skin cancer
b. Most common cause of death
c. 1:1 male to female ratio
- Skin cancer is, by far, the most common cancer diagnosed in Canada
- 1 in 7 Canadians will develop some form of skin cancer in their lifetime
- Skin Cancers represent 1/3 of all new cases of cancer each year
- Many with skin cancer develop recurrence and/or second primary skin cancers
- Melanoma is the second most common skin cancer found in young adults (ages 15 – 34)
- Incidence rates of melanoma are increasing
- The most common areas to get BCC include ears, nose, scalp, forehead, back of hands, shoulders, neck & decolette because they are almost always exposed
- The most common SCC is actinic keratosis which usually occurs on the lips
Be sun smart! Slip on a shirt, slap on a hat and slop on some sunscreen because we have all been affected by cancer whether it was a family member, friend or just someone we know and we want to do everything we can to protect ourselves.
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