Heading someplace warm for spring break?

The Skin Cancer Foundation warns it's important to be careful about protecting your skin from ultraviolet radiation, especially in light of new research showing UV radiation is the source of most mutations found in melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.

Since most Midwesterners have been bundled up all winter, a sunny get-away over spring break will provide the kind if intermittent sun exposure that leads to sunburn. Intense, intermittent sun exposure has also  been linked to melanoma and the most common skin caner, basal cell carcinoma.

Does it help to get a base tan from a tanning bed before you leave help? Health experts advise against it. The first exposure to tanning beds during youth ups the melanoma risk 75 percent,  according to the Skin Cancer Foundation.

And women using tanning beds more than once a month are 55 percent more likely to get malignant melanoma, according to  the National Cancer Institute.

Melanoma is the most common kind of cancer in young adults ages 25-29 and the second most common kind of cancer in teens and young adults ages 15 to 29, according to the foundation.

The organization advises anyone heading off on a sunny spring break vacation to make sure to  use:
— A  broad-spectrum sunscreen and lip balm, both SPF 15-plus.
— Sunglasses and protective clothing, including a wide-brimmed hat.
— A beach umbrella for more shade time. 

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