July is one of the hottest and sunniest months, a time when millions of Americans seek maximum enjoyment at beaches, barbecues and baseball games while wearing minimal clothing. Unfortunately, all this fun in the sun can damage your skin and eyes, increasing your risk of skin cancer and eyesight-robbing conditions such as cataracts and macular degeneration.

So the American Academy of Dermatology and the American Academy of Ophthalmology join forces each year in July to support UV Safety Month and remind people to protect their skin and eyes by applying sunscreen and wearing sunglasses and wide-brimmed hats when heading outdoors.

It’s important to remember that skin and eye protection is essential year-round, not just during the warm and sunny seasons. Even during the hazy and cloudy days of fall and winter, ultraviolet (UV) rays can cause serious damage, especially if they reflect off surfaces such as water, cement, sand, or snow.

In the continental United States, the most hazardous hours for UV exposure are 10 a.m.-4 p.m. daylight savings time (9 a.m.-3 p.m. standard time). Although prolonged sun exposure can damage anyone’s skin and eyes, the risk is highest in people who have white or light-colored skin with freckles, blond or red hair, and  blue or green eyes.

How to Protect Your Skin

The easiest way to prevent skin cancer, including melanoma, is to protect your skin from the sun. You can significantly decrease your risk of skin cancer by following these eight tips from the American Academy of Dermatology:

1. Generously apply a broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of at least 30 to all exposed skin before going outdoors. The sun’s UV rays can damage your skin in as little as 15 minutes. Use a “broad-spectrum" sunscreen that protects against ultraviolet A (UV-A) and ultraviolet B (UV-B) rays, and reapply it every two hours and also after swimming or sweating.
2. Wear protective clothing such as a long-sleeved shirt, pants, a wide-brimmed hat, and sunglasses.
3. Seek shade between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. A good rule of thumb is to find a shady spot whenever your shadow appears to be shorter than you are.
4. Protect children from sun exposure. Early, severe sunburns increase the risk of skin cancer later in life.
5. Use extra caution near water, snow, and sand.  .
6. Get vitamin D safely from dietary sources and/or supplements. Don’t seek the sun for vitamin D.
7. Avoid tanning beds. Like the sun, they prematurely age skin, cause wrinkling, and increase your risk of skin cancer. You can safely achieve a tanned look with sunless, self-tanning creams and lotions.
8. Check your birthday suit on your birthday. Consult a dermatologist if you notice anything changing, growing, or bleeding on your skin. When caught early, skin cancer is usually very treatable.

Sunscreens contain different ingredients. So if your skin reacts badly to a one product, try another one or call your doctor. It’s also important to make sure that your sunscreen is unexpired. Sunscreen generally has a shelf life of no more than three years, but deteriorates more rapidly if exposed to high temperatures. Although some cosmetics and lip balms contain some of the same ingredients found in sunscreens, don’t rely on them alone if they have an SPF rating less than 30.

Also remember that tightly woven fabric offers the best sun protection, and that darker colors may be better than lighter colors. A typical T-shirt has an SPF rating lower than 15, and a wet T-shirt offers even less protection than a dry one.

When choosing a hat, you’ll get the most protection from one made of a tightly woven fabric such as canvas with a brim that goes all the way around your head and shades your face, ears, and back of your neck. Avoid straw hats because the holes allow UV rays to reach your scalp and face.  If you wear a baseball cap, remember to protect your ears and back of your neck with sunscreen that has an SPF rating of at least 30.

How to Protect Your Eyes

The same UV-A and UV-B rays that can damage your skin can also damage your eyes. Although UV light is at strongest between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., and is especially dangerous when it is intensified after reflecting off of water, snow, and pavement, it’s important to protect your eyes whenever you're outside for a prolonged period, even during gray and overcast days. 

Even one episode of prolonged exposure to sunlight can cause photokeratitis, a sunburn-like condition that causes pain, redness, and tearing. Although eye surface burns usually disappear within a couple of days, they can lead to further complications later in life. Over time, repeated exposure to sunlight can cause potentially blinding eye conditions such as cataracts and macular degeneration.

You can  protect your eyes from the sun’s rays with sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat. When buying sunglasses, make sure they block 99-100 percent of the sun’s UV-A and UV-B rays. Darker colors and higher cost don’t make sunglasses any more protective, so cheap sunglasses are just fine as long as they’re rated 99-100 effective at blocking UV rays..

If you spend time on the water or in the snow, you’ll get maximum eye protection from UV-blocking goggles or sunglasses that wrap around your temples and prevent the sun’s rays from entering through the sides.

Find additional information about UV Safety Month at:
http://www.aao.org/aaoesite/eyemd/uv.cfm