With summer on the way, it’s time to update your sun-safety habits and learn new ways to protect yourself from the sun’s harmful UV rays. We’ve always been taught early on that it’s necessary to wear sunscreen, and that prolonged exposure to the sun can cause skin cancer. However, within the past years, there has been an increase in the percentage of people under the age of 20 being affected by the skin disease.

Apart from producing heat and light, the sun emits multiple forms of radiation. Among these types is ultra violet radiation, also known as UV rays. These UV rays are categorized into UVA, UVB, and UVC. Although all three are extremely dangerous, UVB radiation is known to damage proteins in the skin and cause severe sunburn and skin cancers. As the amount of pollution on Earth is increasing, the ozone layer, which is the part of the atmosphere that acts as a natural sun-block, is weakening. Therefore, there is an increase in the amount of UV rays let into the atmosphere which is causing a rise in skin cancer. UV exposure before the age of 20 is strongly related with the most common skin cancer, which is basal cell carcinoma, with almost a million cases a year. It is also associated with the most deadly form, melanoma. Although approximately 70,000 cases of melanoma are reported each year, over two million cases of non-melanoma cancers are found annually.

One of the ways in which you can protect yourself is by reducing your body’s exposure to the sun. A couple of ways to do this are to wear protective accessories, such as hats and sunglasses, and to stay in the shade. The sun is at its strongest between 11:00 am and 3:00 pm, so avoiding being outdoors during those hours is a sure way to prevent skin cancer. Of course, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t leave your house during the day. Going to the beach is safe as long as you’re wearing protective accessories and slopping on the sunscreen every couple of hours.

As dangerous as the sun may be, tanning beds and salons are even more detrimental to your skin. The light bulbs used in the beds contain the same amount of UVB rays as natural sunshine. However, they have a nearly 15x higher concentration of aging UVA rays, which severely damage your skin. The safest ways to tan are to buy tanning lotions such as Jergens and Neutrogena at local drug stores, or spray tans at salons.

If you ever have the slightest feeling that you may have skin cancer, it’s never a bad thing to get it checked out. One way to test it at home is to use the ABCDE’s of skin cancer. "A" stands for Asymmetry. If a mole or spot on your arm is not symmetrical or does not have a distinct shape, it may not be healthy. "B" stands for Border. Having a border around the area is also not a good sign. "C" stands for Color. If the color of your mole has more than one hue, it is considered suspicious and should be examined. "D" stands for Diameter. The size of the mole or spot is hugely important; if it’s larger than a pencil eraser, or continues to grow larger, see a physician. Lastly, "E" is for Elevation. If the mole is elevated from your skin, it could be a sign of skin cancer, especially if it has an uneven surface. If you have any of these five signs, make it a priority to see a doctor in case you may have fallen victim to skin cancer.