UW Health reminds people to maintain skin safety

WISCONSIN (CBS 58) -- It's hard to resist the urge to spend as much time outside as possible in the summer.

But, experts at UW Health in Madison say it is important to maintain skin safety while enjoying all that sunshine.

They say over time, unprotected exposure to the sun's UV rays can damage skin and lead to DNA mutations that can cause skin cancer.

Fortunately, there are some tips you can follow to stay safe.

Experts say the most important thing is to avoid spending a lot of time in the sun during the hours of 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. when the sun's rays are the strongest.

"Over the years, we've started to bring awareness about skin cancer in general and interestingly enough we are still seeing an increase in incidents of melanoma across the United States," said Medical Oncologist at UW Health Dr. Vincent Ma.

Experts also say sunscreen should be re-applied every 80 minutes.

And if your family has a history of skin cancer, you should be extra cautious about how much time you spend in the sun.