Sun Safety For Adolescents

By Natalie Bellia
What is Sun Safety?
Sun Safety are easy steps to prevent overexposure to
the Sun’s UV rays and is overall the awareness of the
dangers from the Sun.

As adolescents, we all love going to the beach/pool

with our friends and having a great time. We might
forget to protect our skin from the skin from not
wearing sunscreen or wearing a hat as it may seem
uncool, especially when we see all the teenagers
around us doing the same thing.
 Sun Safety Facts
- By being exposed to the sun’s UV rays, it could take as little as
15 mins to cause damage to your skin.
- The sun’s rays can affect your skin, eyes, nose, ears
- By the age of 70, 2 out of 3 australians will be diagnosed with
skin related cancers
- Australia has the highest amount of skin cancers diagnosed
every year.
- Melanoma is the most deadliest skin cancer in Australia
- Basal cell carcinoma is the most common skin cancer
- People with freckles are more likely to get skin cancer as well as
people with family history of skin cancer
Sun Safety Facts - Continued
- The 5 year survival rate of melanoma is 95% but if it has spread to other parts of your body, the
survival rate lowers down to 25%
- A random study of 63 women showed that indoor tanning beds caused 97% of woman to get skin
cancer
- People with blue and green eyes are more vulnerable to skin cancer as well as people with fair skin
- 80% of all diagnosed cancers in Australia are skin related
How can you prevent it?
There are some easy ways we can prevent skin cancer:
- On days with a high UV index, we can put on at least 30+ SPF sunscreen to prevent damaging
effects on our skin
- Wear sunglasses, they can be trendy or practical but they must protect you from the sun’s rays and
prevent eye damage
- Put on a hat when in direct sunlight
How to treat Sunburn
If you get burnt from the sun occasionally.. it is honestly okay! It is normal to get
sunburnt and it happens to everyone at some point. Don’t panic! Some ways to
treat it are:

- Putting on aloe vera to soothe the skin

- Taking a cold shower to cool down
- Taking medication such as aspirin or ibuprofen to reduce the pain
Remember… Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek and Slide!
Slip
Slip- Slip on sun protective clothing
Slop

Slop- Slop on some sunscreen

Slap- slap on a hat

Slide
Seek- Seek some shade, where possible
Slap
Slide- slide on some sunglasses

Seek
Further Information On Sun Safety
https://www.cancer.org.au/cancer-information/types-of-cancer/skin-cancer - Cancer Council (Skin
Cancer)

https://www.healthline.com/health/sunburn - Healthline (how to treat a sunburn)

https://www.sunsmart.com.au/tools/videos/current-tv-campaigns/slip-slop-slap-seek-slide-sid-seagull.h
tml - Sun Smart (slip, slap, slop, seek and slide movement)