Reduce your chance of getting melanoma

Over the past week, we’ve introduced melanoma awareness month and covered some of the most common ways to spot skin cancers. Prevention is always better than cure, though, so we are wrapping up our focus on melanoma with the best ways to reduce your chance of developing it at all.

The best method of protection is to keep your skin out of the sun. Thick, dark clothing and shade are great, but check their materials offer full protection. The skin cancer foundation offers a seal of approval for materials that adequately protect you from the sun.

Where it isn’t possible to stay out of the sun completely, a broad-spectrum sunscreen (one that protects from both types of UV rays) is the next best option. See below for the breakdown of the two most common types of sunscreen.