On Vacation
Don’t come home with a sunburn
here to help
Sun Smart on Vacation
Intense intermittent sun exposure (like the kind you get after being cooped up inside for the winter and then get a burst of sun on vacation) is a risk factor for melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer.
Be sun smart on vacation with these travel tips:
Pack sun smart essentials in your beach bag: sunglasses, sunscreen, and a big floppy hat!
Wear broad spectrum, water resistant sunscreen, at least SPF 30. And don’t forget to reapply, especially after swimming or toweling off.
Find a shady spot to lounge on the beach.
Don’t forget that the sand and water reflect UVR. Use a variety of sun protection methods to stay safe.
Sun Smart Tools
Skip the base tan
Thinking about using a tanning bed before your vacation to get a base tan? Don’t bother. Base tans don’t prevent sunburn.
Base tans do not protect your skin from future sun exposure. A base tan only provides the equivalent of SPF 2-3. We recommend at least SPF 30 for skin protection.
Tanning before vacation simply exposes your skin to more harmful UVR.
A tan is a sign of skin damage.
You may think that as long as you don’t burn at the tanning salon, your skin is safe. But a tan, whether you get it on the beach or in a tanning bed, is a sign of skin damage. A base tan is simply adding UVR exposure and skin damage before even going outside in the sun.
View sources
Le Clair, Marie Z, and Myles G Cockburn. “Tanning bed use and melanoma: Establishing risk and improving prevention interventions.” Preventive medicine reports vol. 3 139-44. 14 Jan. 2016, doi:10.1016/j.pmedr.2015.11.016