"I don't know. I don't do much; I just go out there," said sunbather Allie Swartz.
Dermatologist Dr. Naomi Lawrence says that people have got to love their skin more than the sun, and for good reason.
"When you get a sunburn, you've damaged the DNA in your cells. They recover, but that damage, you don't get rid of," said Dr. Lawrence.
Sunbather Dayna Zeises knows this all too well.
"Yeah, my grandmother passed away from melanoma, so I try to stay out of the sun, but when I go, I like to get my tan," Zeises said.
Dr. Lawrence says cancer-causing damage can happen quickly.
"When we're talking melanoma, it can happen in a single sunburn," she adds.
Some beauty and grooming companies now offer laundry detergents, shampoos, and makeup foundations with skin protection. They have an ingredient called tensorb with an ultra violet protection factor.
There is also SPF-infused clothing. Outdoors stores like LL Bean carry many SPF shirts, pants, hats, and scarves.
Dr. Lawrence says those clothes work well, but you probably already have a few pieces that can protect you from the sun already.
"You can pretty cheaply find a dark tight weave t-shirt that's an SPF of 25. The detergent claims SPF of 30," she says.
The best that you can do, the doctor says, is layered protection, sunblocks, good hats, cover-ups and limited time under the rays.
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