With temperatures sure to reach near or above triple digits at some point this summer, a local oncologist said it is important to incorporate sun safety measures into every day planning.

Dr. Robert Conry, melanoma program director at UAB, said there are numerous ways people can be outside during the summer and still be at safe, lowering their chances of being diagnosed with melanoma — the most dangerous form of skin cancer — in the future. Conry said it all starts with sunscreen, with should be applied every two hours.

“I recommend factor 30 sunscreen or higher to get really good sun protection, especially when people are out between the hours of 10 and 4 p.m.,” Conry said. “With Daylight Savings Time, the absolute peak sun exposure occurs at 1 p.m., not noon because we have changed our clocks.”

According to the Skin Cancer Foundation website, skin cancer is the most common form of cancer and affects 3.5 million people each year. Over the past three decades, more people have had skin cancer than all other cancers combined.

Sun protection is even more important at the beach. Conry encourages people to enjoy the beach during non-peak sun hours, which lowers their chances of getting blistering sunburn that could lead to skin cancer in the future.

“I recommend people at the beach try to avoid being out during the four sunniest hours of the day, which is 11 a.m. until 3 p.m.,” Conry said. “You want to get good coverage with sun screen and be sure to reapply because even the sports creams and waterproof safe lotions aren’t really waterproof.”

Anyone thinking of getting a tan before a vacation or big event this summer may want to think twice as Conry said there is no safe way to get a tan.

“I think our perceptions of beauty need to wise up and we need to all become better informed that healthy skin is beautiful skin and healthy skin is not bronze skin.,” Conry said. “There really is no such thing as a safe sun tan because to get a tan you are purposely taking on a lot of ultraviolent exposure to your skin that causes the DNA mutations that can increase your risk of cancer of later in life.”

Indoor tanning is even more dangerous, Conry said.

“People are not only getting more sun exposure when they should outside but then they continue that high level ultraviolet exposure by going to indoor tanning facilities during the fall, winter and spring when normally it should be a natural time for their skin to recuperate a little bit.”

Conry said tanning is one of the reasons he is now having to diagnose people in their 20s and 30s with skin cancer, which he called one of the hardest parts of his job.