(Radio Iowa) – Within a few days, forecasters say we’ll again have sunny skies and highs back in the 90s, so some Iowans could use a reminder about the value of sunscreen.
Registered nurse Anna Anderson, at Van Diest Medical Center in Webster City, says July is Ultraviolet Safety Awareness Month, though U-V rays are something many of us try to ignore. “It’s part of the spectrum of light that we don’t see,” Anderson says. “It is a penetrating form of light. It can get through clouds, but it interacts with the cells in our skin.”
Exposure to U-V rays is considered one of the leading preventable causes of skin cancer. Anderson says Iowans need to be particularly aware about sun safety during the summer. “Even one sunburn has the potential to cause damage. The damage that you have from sun exposure is progressive, meaning that you’re not one and done, you’re healed and it’s finished.
“That damage stays with you over time,” Anderson says, “so the more often that you are sunburned, the higher the potential chances that you could develop a skin cancer or a melanoma.” It’s not just during the summertime, either. Exposure to ultraviolet light is a risk every day of the year, no matter what the weather.
“You can get it on cloudy days, even sometimes in the wintertime,” she says. “You’ve seen skiers come back with new freckles on their nose or a little bit of a sunburn because they’ve been out wearing their goggles. That UV light is with us all the time.” The sun is strongest between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Anderson recommends wearing sunscreen and protective clothing, while seeking the shade.
