As the new summer season approaches, more people will desire to stay out for as long as possible, enjoying activities specific for the sunny days like golf, fishing, gardening or swimming. Spending more time in the sunlight without the necessary steps to avoid excessive tanning could be dangerous for your skin, doctors warn.

According to the American Academy of Dermatology, more than 1 million new cases of skin cancer are diagnosed each year. About 62,480 people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with melanoma in 2008, the most deadly type of skin cancer. Also, about 11,200 people will die of skin cancer this year although its rate of survival is of 95 percent when caught early. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, about 90 percent of non-melanoma skin cancers are linked to exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun.

To stay out of trouble and keep your skin as healthy as possible, you might need to respect some rules, doctors say. Therefore, people are urged to generously apply water-resistant sunscreen with an SPF of 15 of higher that protects against both UVA and UVB rays. The lotion should be applied 20 or 30 minutes before going out in the sun on the places more exposed to the sun's rays, such as face, neck, ears, lower legs, feet and hands. Also, they should reapply the lotion every two hours while staying out.

Doctors also recommend people avoid exposure to the sun between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. when the sun’s rays are most intense. Also, people should wear protective clothing and cover as much of their skin, and wear a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses.

To be sure you are not at risk of developing skin cancer, you should also avoid tanning beds and check your skin regularly for anything suspicious, like changes in size, shape or color of an existing mole or skin growth or the appearance of a new growth on the skin or bleeding on your skin.

For more information on the negative effects of sun’s rays on your skin, people are invited to visit www.skincancer.org, www.cancer.org, or the American Academy of Dermatology’s Web site at www.aad.org.