Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the United States. Melanoma is the most severe form of skin cancer, and according to the Center for Disease Control more than nine thousand people die from melanoma each year.
Skin cancer is one of the most preventable forms of cancer. The majority of skin cancer cases are caused by exposure to the UV rays of the sun, and applying sunscreen has been proven to block these rays from damaging skin.

Who is applying Sunscreen?

The research shows that only fourteen percent of the male population admit to using sunscreen when they are going to be outdoors for more than one hour. Women use more sunscreen than men, but only thirty percent of the women surveyed admitted to regularly using sunscreen products when they were going to be exposed to the sun for more than one hour.
People who do use sunscreen admit that they do not apply it to their faces properly. The people complain that the sunscreen gets into their eyes when they perspire so they do not apply it. Women apply more sunscreen to their face if the sunscreen is mixed in with a base makeup product.
People who are not extremely fair skinned often use no protection from the sun, and when they do use protection they often do not apply the products to their backs.
People who have lower incomes use sunscreen less frequently, and people with lower incomes are more likely to receive sun exposure than people with higher incomes.
Men and women who work in the construction trades, and in jobs where they are regularly exposed to the sun admit that they rarely use any type of sunscreen on their skin.

Choose the Right Product

Dermatologists recommend that people use a sunscreen that has an SPF no lower than 30. They also recommend that people buy the water resistant sunscreen varieties to reduce sweating the product off, and they recommend that you buy a broad=spectrum product that will protect you from both the UVA and the UVB rays of the sun.
The UVB rays from the sun are the ones that cause you to get reddened, burned outer skin layers. Sunburns are painful and they can have long term damaging effects. The UVA rays from the sun do not cause your skin to burn. These rays go deep into your skin and they damage it to cause your skin to wrinkle and sag.

Apply Sunscreen Properly

You have to apply the sunscreen properly in order to get the full benefits from it. This means that you need to apply the product thickly to your skin before you go out into the sun.
You need to reapply the product every two hours under normal conditions. If you are sweating a lot, or if you are swimming, then you need to reapply the sunscreen more frequently.
You need to wear hats, long sleeves, and sit in the shade as much as possible to help your sunscreen protect you.
Do not forget to apply sunscreen on cloudy days. The bright sunny days are not the only ones that you can get burned on.