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Home Topics A–Z Melanoma. Slap it on!
Author: Vanessa Ngan, Staff Writer; Copy Editor: Clare Morrison; Chief Editor: Dr Amanda Oakley, Dermatologist, Hamilton, New Zealand, October 2013. About Melanoma is sponsored by the New Zealand Dermatological Society Incorporated.
Using sunscreens helps to protect your skin from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays. However, wearing sunscreen does not mean you can stay out in the sun all day long and not get sun-burned. Don’t let sunscreen give you a false sense of security. You still need to cover up with clothes and stay out of the sun during peak sunshine hours in the day.
It’s not practical to hide all parts of your body with clothing, so sunscreen is perfect protection for your bare bits. But what sunscreen should you use? It can be pretty confusing with so many different bottles on the shelves covered in labels stating various claims and with ingredient panels with a list of bizarre chemical names. Here are a few pointers to help you decide which sunscreen to use:
The main thing is to choose a sunscreen that meets the first two points above.
For sunscreen to do its job properly you need to:
Sun protection to prevent melanoma video (A/Prof Amanda Oakley).
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