Prevention of skin cancer
- Slip, slop, slap, seek, slide
- Slip on sun protective clothing that covers as much skin as possible
- Wear a shirt with a collar rather than a singlet top, when swimming, wear a wetsuit or rash vest
- Slop on sunscreen
- SPF30+ sunscreens filter out 97% of UV radiation
- Sunscreen will only filter out sun if enough sunscreen is used and it is used properly
- Sunscreen should be applied over all areas of exposed skin 20 minutes before sun exposure and reapplied every two hours (sooner if you’ve been swimming or sweating)
- Try to use water resistant sunscreen
- Apply sunscreen liberally to each limb, the front and back of the body and the face, neck, ears, hands and feet
- Slap on a hat
- Wear a wide-brimmed hat to protect your face, back of the neck, eyes and ears
- Seek shade
- 11am-3pm is when the sun’s UV rays are their harshest, try your best to seek shade especially during these hours
- Slide on some sunglasses
- Long term exposure to UV radiation can cause cataracts and skin cancers of various tissues in the eye
- Using sunglasses which wrap around the face and are close fitting will provide the maximum protection
- There is an Australian Standard for sunglasses