Ultraviolet rays give us a natural dose of serotonin to keep us in a happy, healthy mindset. It helps prevent us from having seasonal affective disorder, a form of depression that occurs during the winter time due to the gloomy short days, and keeps us on our toes. So that means the more sunlight, the better… right? Wrong.

While sun exposure is healthy and natural for us to receive, we should not overdue it. Sunlight not only fries your skin to a crisp, but it can cause a lifetime of atypical moles and skin cancer. Atypical moles, also known as dysplastic nevi, can look scary and even deceive you into believing they are a melanoma (the worst type of skin cancer). Although they are not melanomas, their presence means you are at higher risk for developing one.

You probably are more familiar with other types instead like basal or squamous cell carcinomas. If you have, you probably heard about one of your parents or relatives getting one (or more) removed. They are both two common types of skin cancers that likely result from sun damage, and also tanning beds.

Basal cell, fortunately, does not go anywhere besides on your skin which means they are not life threatening. Although, they do become irritable, keep growing, and can result in losing part of an ear or a nose where they are most commonly located. Now when it comes to squamous cells, although they are not usually life threatening, they can spread to your organs and lymph nodes which results in further treatments rather than just a simple removal.

Now, back to melanoma—It is one of the most dangerous types of skin cancer. It can become fatal if not spotted and treated early because it may spread anywhere throughout your body unlike the other types. When caught early, it is known as “melanoma in situ”, so it has only affected your skin which is usually caught if you schedule yearly body exams with your dermatologist.

People who have light skin and blue eyes are more prone to developing skin cancer due to the amount of minimal melanin they possess. If you go to tanning beds and/or lay out to get a “nice” tan, you are also more prone to skin cancer than most. Wearing sunblock over SPF 30 is the safest way to go (and you must apply is after every hour or so to prevent damage) when out in the sun, especially in the summer. As mentioned before, if you have any family members, who are blood related to you, that have/had skin cancer, you have an increased risk of developing it.

The reason this article exists is not to prevent you from going out in the sunlight and acting like a gremlin, but to help make you aware of long term effects when getting too much. The moral of this article is really about applying high SPF sunblock, staying away from (or only do it minimally) sunbathing, and to not ever go to tanning salons. Remember, UV rays may not seem as important in the moment when you are outside or tanning, but they will be in the future when you have the take care of the problematic side effects that have been caused because of it.

All information provided is from my experience working in a dermatology clinic and having an aunt that has worked at one for all my life.