Study: SPF 30 sunscreen may cut melanoma risk by 80 percent
May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month
It’s the first day of summer, which means more people will be spending their time outdoors enjoying the weather. But along with it comes the increased risk of sunburn unless proper precautions are taken.
A 20-year-old man in Scotland learned the hard way what the sun’s rays can do if you’re not wearing sunscreen. Greg Binnie, a gardener in Edinburgh, suffered severe sunburn after spending the day outside working, BBC reports.
Binnie posted photos of the damage on Twitter Monday along with a reminder to everyone to wear sunscreen.
“In all seriousness, put on sun cream. 2nd degree burns from doing a days work outside lol. Am in f---ing agony,” he wrote.
He says the weather Saturday when he spent all that time outside ended up being hotter than forecasted, but he didn’t notice the burn until his parents pointed it out, according to Yahoo.
By Sunday, his burnt skin had severely blistered. He told BBC even though he has fair skin, this is the worst burn he’s ever experienced and it has left him bedridden. To treat the skin, he’s been applying aloe vera and taking cold showers, BBC reports.
FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS
Binnie’s burn is a lesson to everyone the importance of wearing sunscreen daily, even if it’s overcast. Exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet rays is known to cause skin aging, wrinkles and dark spots as well as an increased chance of getting skin cancer. An estimated one in five Americans will get skin cancer in their lifetime, according to The Skin Cancer Foundation. Wearing SPF 15 or high on a daily basis reduces your risk by 40 to 50 percent.
