The sun's rays, also called ultraviolet or UV rays, damage your skin. The short-term results of unprotected exposure to UV rays are sunburn and tanning. Long-term exposure may cause early wrinkles, loss of skin elasticity, dark patches and skin cancer. July is UV Safety Month so visit the following Web sites to learn more about how you can protect yourself from harmful UV radiation, and reduce your risk of skin cancer and other skin problems.
Visit www.familydoctor.org to learn what you can do to reduce your risk of skin cancer. On this site, you will find safe-sun guidelines that include simple and effective ways for reducing overexposure to UV rays. When found early, skin cancer may be cured. Read Saving Your Skin for more information on prevention, skin self-examination and the "ABCDE" rule, which can help you look for signs of skin cancer. Information in Spanish is available on this site.
http://www.epa.gov/sunwise/: EPA SunWise – Too much exposure to UV radiation may cause many health problems. This Web site offers movies, news releases, UV alerts and other interactive tools to help teach the public about sun safety.
http://www.nsc.org/ehc/sunsafe.htm: National Safety Council – One in 5 Americans develop skin cancer. But this condition may be prevented. The National Safety Council Web site offers resources to help you teach your child about sun safety. This site provides fact sheets and educational outreach programs to parents, teachers and others nationwide.
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/lrn/lrn_0.asp: American Cancer Society (ACS) – Melanoma is the most serious form of skin cancer and may be fatal. The ACS estimates that, each year, more than 60,000 people are diagnosed with melanoma. Besides skin cancer, the sun's UV radiation also increases the risk of cataracts and other eye problems, and can suppress the immune system. Visit the ACS Web site to learn more about UV radiation, its effects and ways to reduce your risk of overexposure.
http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/stratosphere/uv_index/uv_
current.shtml: Climate Prediction Center – This Web site shows the daily UV Index to increase awareness of the damaging potential of UV radiation. A color-coded UV Index map of the United States shows where UV exposure is highest and lowest. This site is updated daily.
http://www.who.int/uv/en/: World Health Organization – In collaboration with the United Nations, the World Health Organization set up INTERSUN, a Global UV international project that aims “to reduce the burden of disease resulting from overexposure to UV radiation.” This Web site features practical advice for reducing risk of UV overexposure and many links to organizations around the world that are collaborating on the project.
