Love your skin. Protect it from skin cancer

May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month

It's the unofficial start of summer with warmer, sunnier days and rapidly growing grass in your backyard. While your lawn loves getting more sun, your body's largest organ does not. That's because the same UV rays that help your lawn grow can also burn your skin, which can lead to skin cancer. And, according to the American Academy of Dermatology, anyone can be at risk of skin cancer.

3 steps to reduce skin cancer risk

The risk of skin cancer is higher if you spend long periods in the sun. That's not good news if you're a landscaper, mowing contractor or farmer. The good news is that the American Cancer Society gives three easy steps that reduce your risk of skin cancer:

1. Avoid direct exposure to the sun when UV is most intense (usually between 10a and 4p)
2. Spend more time in the shade at mid-day when sunlight is strongest
3. Follow the Slip! Slop! Slap! and Wrap! rules:
   
   • Slip! on a shirt. Cover up with comfortable, protective clothing made of tightly woven fabrics that light cannot penetrate.

• • Slop! on sunscreen. Apply generous amounts sunscreen and lip balm with an SPF 30+ rating and broad-spectrum UV protection to exposed skin before going outdoors and throughout the day.

• • Slap! on a hat. Wear a hat that shades your face, ears and neck.

• • Wrap! on sunglasses. Wear sunglasses with 100% UVA and UVB protective lenses to shield eyes and surrounding skin.

So, show your skin some love: protect it and yourself from UV and skin cancer. And, if working in the sun is unavoidable, get protected with Grasshopper gear at grasshoppergear.com.

For more skin cancer protection tips, visit cancer.org/skincancer, and for more lawn care, lawn mowing and lawnmower maintenance tips, or to learn more about Grasshopper zero-turn mowers, visit grasshoppermower.com.