• Wear a broad-brimmed hat that keeps the sun off of your face and neck. For those who are follicle-challenged (thinning hair), protect your scalp by wearing a hat.

• Wear sunglasses that provide 100 percent UV-A and UV-B protection.

• Wear clothes with the UPF (Ultraviolet Protection Factor) label. They can reduce your UV exposure by 15 times. For style-conscious folks, there are some cool-looking designs by Solarweave and Solumbra. Clothing without UPF protection should be washed with laundry detergents (i.e., Rit Whitener and Brighteners, or Sunguard) that contain optical brighteners, which protect against UV rays. Also note that darker colors absorb more UV than lighter ones, and cotton offers little protection against the sun.

• Don't let your children get sunburned. Put sunscreen on them when they go outdoors (there are special formulations available for children age 6 and under). Infants 6 months and younger should be kept out of the sun altogether. Remember, children who get sunburned may experience the sun's damaging effects many years after exposure.

• Lastly, it's important to know that tanning salons can cause serious skin damage. My best advice is to put your health ahead of your vanity and stay away from them.

While skin cancer is serious business, remember that with early detection this disease is highly treatable and needn't be a death sentence. For further information on ways you can protect your skin, call the American Cancer Society at 1-800-ACS-2345.

Copyright 2003, Dr. Rob Danoff

Robert Danoff, D.O., M.S., is a family physician. He is program director of Family Practice Residency Frankford Hospitals, Jefferson Health System, Philadelphia, Pa. He also is a medical correspondent for The Comcast Network, CN8, contributing writer to the New York Times and writes a weekly medical column for the Bucks Courier Times, Bucks County Pa.