July: Protect Your Skin from the Sun This Summer!

Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States, and treatment can involve much more than a mole removal. UV Safety Awareness Month highlights the risks of unprotected sun exposure and promotes sun-safe habits to prevent skin cancer and eye damage. UV exposure is the root cause of most skin cancers; there are safeguards you can take to help practice safe sun year-round.

While sunshine is essential for your body to process vitamin D, ultraviolet radiation can quickly damage your skin, no matter your skin tone.

Essential UV Safety Practices

• Apply Sunscreen: Use a broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher. Apply 15-30 minutes before going outside, and reapply every two hours or immediately after swimming. Yes, even YOU. 
• Seek Shade: Limit direct sun exposure between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. when UV rays are strongest.
• Wear Protective Clothing: Cover up with tightly woven, dark, or UPF-rated clothing, wear a wide-brimmed hat, and use sunglasses that block 100% of UVA and UVB rays.
• Check the UV Index: Look at your daily local forecast to gauge sun intensity before you plan outdoor activity.
• Know Your Skin: Most skin cancers are treatable when caught early. Examine your skin monthly and bring anything new, changing, or unusual to a dermatologist.
• Hear This Clearly: Naturally darker skin is not immunity. Believers with deeper melanin are statistically less likely to receive early treatment for possible skin cancers. Detection is not optional. Vigilance is not vanity.

Your Body Is Not Your Own

Your body is a temple, and a temple is maintained, not neglected. You are called to steward your skin.

Understand that protection is not fear, it is wisdom walked out in the daylight.

You are healed, you are whole, and you are also responsible. Walk in what is already yours by walking in wisdom. Cover the skin. Seek the shade. Reapply the sunscreen. Schedule the screening.

This is The L.I.V.E. Life: Love that cares for the body God gave you, Inspiration to act before the diagnosis forces you to, Victory already declared any disease, Empowerment to walk outside covered, confident, and whole.