Staying safe under the Saskatchewan sun

Watch above: After a chilly May long weekend, Saskatchewan residents are out in droves this week as the sun brings warmth with it. Aaron Streck says the outdoor eagerness could lead to forgetfulness with the potential for skin problems.

SASKATOON – About half the year we deal with cold and snow, throw in some rainy below average weeks and that’s why on warm, sunny days nobody wants to be indoors. But, the sun’s rays can really do some damage, no matter the time of the year.

“Even in the winter months when you don’t see the suns rays, the UV-A and B rays are still able to penetrate, those are the two we want to be concerned about because those cause the sun burns and also cause underlying skin damage,” said Diana Ng with the Canadian Cancer Society Saskatchewan division.

And that can lead to skin cancer.

According to the Canadian Cancer Society, there were 140 new cases of melanoma in Saskatchewan last year resulting in 25 deaths. While skin cancer is one of the most prevalent forms of cancer, it’s also one of the most preventable.

“Slip on the sunglasses, wear sunscreen, SPF 15 or higher, seek shade, as well as slapping on a wide brimmed hat, make sure you do all those things and hopefully it can help reduce the risk,” said Ng.

READ MORE: Sunscreen and you: the uncoated, goopy facts about sun protection

Protecting the skin you’re in is important especially when the UV index is three or higher. Sunscreen is recommended to be applied 15 to 20 minutes before stepping outside and re-applied every couple of hours.

“No tan is a safe tan because tanning honestly it’s your skins way of protecting itself from the sun, that’s why it changes colour and its burning in the sun,” said Ng.

“We have this really good cartoon that we show the kids where there’s a pig on a blanket next to him is a piece of bacon and the pig on the blanket is saying to the bacon I hope you wear sunscreen next time.”

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For more information on how to protect yourself from the sun you can visit the Canadian Cancer Society.