Summertime, Skin Cancer, and Your Outdoor Room

Like many of us who've gone through a brutal winter, heading out to the patio or backyard during the summer is a much deserved break from huddling by the fire or always dressing in heavy winter wear. Now that summer is here, it's time to enjoy some much needed warmth, and heading outdoors is a perfect way for you and your family to enjoy a more casual outdoor lifestyle. Sitting in your favorite chaise lounge, enjoying a cool drink, and relaxing away the hours on a sunny day would be high on anyone's list of things to do during the summer.

However, don't let your desire for some relaxing sun-time distract you from a very real concern, and that's you and your families health. The sun filled days of relaxing you've been yearning brings with it a danger you might easily overlook; the sun itself! While sitting back and relaxing outdoors, you're being bombarded by the sun's UV rays. Ultra-Violet rays not only cause sunburns, but also contribute heavily to skin cancer. Millions of cases of skin cancer are attributed every year to the sun's harmful UV rays.

Here's another scary thought about skin cancer; Children are probably in the greatest danger of developing skin cancer. Most people would think that with the resilience of youthful skin and the ability of children to heal quickly would provide a type of safety net for our young ones. However, that's wrong. If an adult thinks that it's too sunny or too hot outside, he or she can just step back inside your home. But energetic children aren't adults. They'll play out in the hot sun no matter how they feel. Start teaching your children the simple shadow rule. If your shadow is shorter than you, time to hit the shade.

Sunburns and skin disease, most notably Melanoma (the most dangerous form of skin cancer) are treatable, and completely preventable. Are you willing to risk your health, or the health of your spouse or children, by not taking some very easy precautions? Just by using one or two very easy and unobtrusive preventative steps, you can save your family and yourself from skin-cancer danger.

Most people think that merely applying sunscreen is ample protection from UV rays. Unfortunately, in most cases, people are not informed enough about the type of protection they need. Studies show that to prevent most sun-related skin disease, including skin cancer, a sunscreen should block at least 93 to 98 percent of UV radiation. That means that at minimum, a protective sunscreen should have an SPF (Sun Protection Factor) of 15, which blocks 93% of UV rays. A hypoallergenic sunscreen is best to avoid a bad rash or clogging of the pores; Acne and a sun burn at the same time is not fun. Also, Sunscreens should be applied at least 15 to 30 minutes before going out into the sun, followed by one reapplication 30 minutes after the sun exposure begins. Further reapplication is only necessary after activities such as swimming or sweating.

Protect your eyes as well. The sun's UV radiation can affect your retinas as well. Wearing a hat with a brim and anti-UV sunglasses can provide almost 100% protection against ultraviolet radiation entering the eyes.

Providing plenty of shade can't be stressed enough. If you're looking to create a comfortable backyard or patio, pleasant shade areas are a must. Make it a point to look at where you'll be spending your summer days and see if you're supplying enough shading for both lounging and retreat. There's nothing wrong with sunbathing, but you've got to remember to keep a shade area close for a "heat retreat".

Always remember that the sun is strongest, and UV spread is biggest, between 10AM and 4PM. It's important to be protected during these times, with either a good sunscreen, or plenty or shade, or both if you can. You should be protecting your eyes as well. The sun's radiation can affect your vision and cause melanomas to develop around your eye areas. Wearing a hat and UV protected sunglasses can provide total protection against UV radiation.

Using shade trees is a beautiful way to create shade around your home. Large leaf trees like a short Palm or Bird of Paradise can create natural shade areas around your home, and are perfect for framing or outlining your backyard or garden into an outdoor room. Some large leaf trees don't grow everywhere or are available for every climate, but luckily, most of North America has a shade tree that's indigenous to your area. With a little research and some help from your local garden store, you can find some beautiful shade trees just right for your area. Remember to place trees in patterns around your home that is pleasing to your eye, but provide a good amount of shade within reach.

However, trees are sometimes not very practical as an investment. A large, mature tree costs way too much to buy and plant, and young trees, though a lot more inexpensive, will take years of growing before they provide enough shade to be effective. So if trees are not an option, large leaf plants can do the job as well. Gunnera and Banana are popular large leaf plants, but there are hundreds of plants that can work just as well.

Look to your own home as a source of shade. Keep a track of the shadows and shade provided by your home during the day, and find the longest shade it makes. You can make this into a nice lounge area that you can frame with outdoor furniture.

Speaking of outdoor furniture, one of the things you have to be careful with while relaxing outdoors on a comfortable chaise lounge or hammock, is falling asleep. If you're not providing enough shade over or around you patio furniture, you can find yourself waking up from a nice nap outdoors with a massive sunburn, which is way too much exposure to harmful cancer causing UV rays. The perfect solution would be a patio umbrella made with Sunbrella outdoor fabrics. Patio umbrellas are inexpensive, easy to set up over or around your furniture, come in a large variety of sizes, and can provide all the shade you need to protect you from UV rays. Sunbrella fabrics are solution dyed acrylic fabrics that are soft to the touch, come in a variety of colors and patterns, and are recommended by The Skin Cancer Foundation for their UV blocking properties. In fact, they provide an SPF of 50, and are warranted for up to 5 years of color fastness, so they provide great protection for a long time.