KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City dermatologists are urging people to use sunscreen all year, offering tips for selecting formulas with the best ingredients.
This comes as more people will be headed to the pool and spending more time outside. Experts say skipping sunscreen puts individuals at risk since one in four people will develop skin cancer.
"Skin cancer is really common. Skin cancer is the most common cancer in humans. It really weighs in that we do need to educate people, and how do we prevent this thing about skin cancer is that it is preventable," said Dr. Molly Menser, dermatologist at Epiphany Dermatology.
It can be difficult to know what to look for when it comes to skin cancer, so experts want everyone to remember the ABCDEs.
"You have A for asymmetry that means it's differently shaped, B meaning the border is not really clear, C is color different colors within it, D is diameter, you can think of it as big as a pencil eraser, and E is evolving, so if it's changing," said Hannah Vance, family nurse practitioner at Epiphany Dermatology.
Menser tells her patients to also do monthly skin checks on themselves.
"The biggest thing I like patients to take home away if there is something new or if there is something changing, those are the biggest walk away I want patients to have or something unusual," she said.
Here are some key qualities to remember when it comes to sunscreen:
- Use sunscreen every day, not just during the summer
- Look for sunscreens with an SPF 40 or higher, water-resistant
- Zinc oxide is a key ingredient to ensure is in one's sunscreen
- Reapply when dry after getting out of the pool as well as throughout the day
- Use two finger lengths of sunscreen for one's face
- Wear sunscreen on the face, chest for women and ears, especially for men
