Be Sun Smart: Your Guide to Preventing Skin Cancer

May 2, 2023

The NYCDCC Benefit Funds is concerned about your and your family’s health and wants to ensure you are armed with information on how to protect yourself from preventable skin cancers. To equip yourself with sun-smart best practices, consider the following information.

What is Skin Cancer?

Skin cancer develops when there’s an out-of-control growth of abnormal cells in the epidermis, the outermost skin layer.

A major risk factor is prolonged exposure to ultraviolet (“UV”) radiation that comes from the sun or tanning machines.

Be Sun Smart to Reduce Your Risk

• Apply sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher at least 20 minutes (if using chemical sunscreen) before going outside, even on cloudy days and in the winter.
• Protect yourself from UVA and UVB rays by wearing broad-spectrum sunscreen.
• Stay out of the sun from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, when rays are the strongest.
• Reapply sunscreen every two hours and after swimming, toweling off, or sweating.
• Seek out shade whenever possible.
• Wear protective clothing such as long-sleeve shirts, wide-brimmed hats, and sunglasses.
• Avoid indoor tanning machines.

Learn More

To learn more about how to prevent skin cancer, including important risk factors, sun safety tips you should practice daily, and how to do a skin self-exam, view Memorial Sloan Kettering’s (“MSK”) webpage dedicated to skin cancer awareness at www.mskcc.org/direct/nycdcc-welfare-fund/be-sun-smart.

The NYCDCC Welfare Fund has a partnership with MSK Direct to provide our members and your families with the highest-quality cancer programs and services, virtually or in-person, to help navigate your unique journey of screening and prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and life beyond cancer.

If you or a family member are impacted by cancer and would like to discuss treatment options at MSK, call the dedicated MSK Direct phone line for NYCDCC members and dependents at (844) 386-3368 or visit www.mskcc.org/nycdcc.