MOOSE JAW — Summer has arrived, and to cool off, people will soon be visiting the Phyllis Dewar Outdoor Pool, a venue that now offers free sunscreen to help residents and visitors protect their epidermis.
The City of Moose Jaw has joined with the Save Your Skin Foundation to fight skin cancer by making sunscreen more accessible to the public. This is happening at the outdoor pool, where sunscreen dispensers have been installed at the front entrance and on the pool deck.
The foundation is providing communities with sunscreen from Green Cricket, which makes the liquid using a zinc oxide-based formula free from harmful chemicals, filters, common allergens or toxic ingredients like oxybenzone, avobenzone, retinyl palminate, PEG, parfume, and sodium lauryl sulphate.
“We understand many people have concerns about chemical sunscreens,” said Amy Rosvold, director of marketing for the Save Your Skin Foundation.
The main active ingredient is zinc oxide at 21 per cent, while the non-medicinal ingredients include aqua, helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil, glycerin, vitis vinifera (grape) seed oil, glyceral stearate, cetearyl alcohol, sorbitan sesquioleate, crambe abyssinica seed oil, butyrospermum parkii (shea) butter, tocopheral, glyceral carprylate, xanthan gum and glyceral undecylenate.
The partnership between Moose Jaw and the foundation follows from city council declaring May as Melanoma and Skin Cancer Awareness Month, an initiative that 60 other Canadian municipalities joined as well.
“With summer approaching, it is important that everyone be reminded of the importance of sun safety,” Mayor Clive Tolley said at the time. “Enjoy the sun and protect your skin from UV rays all year round."
According to the Save Your Skin Foundation, in 2022, over 80,000 Canadians were diagnosed with skin cancer, while 8,700 of these were new melanoma cases and more than 1,300 people died from melanoma. Despite these figures, the foundation says Canadians are spending more time in the sun without taking recommended precautions.
“No cancer, including melanomas, can ever be prevented with 100 per cent certainty. The good news with melanomas is that the risk factors are well known, so steps can be taken to dramatically reduce your risk of developing this deadly disease … ,” the foundation’s website says.
“While sunlight has health benefits, it is important to take precautions to protect ourselves from potentially harmful UV rays.”
Some steps people can take to protect themselves include:
- Always have sunscreen with you so you can apply it whenever an unplanned outdoor activity arises
- Use a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 whenever you are outdoors (even on grey days)
- Wear protective clothing with long sleeves, hats, and sunglasses
- Wear sun safety apparel for added protection
- Check for changes in moles or new moles and see your doctor immediately if anything is suspicious
- Limit — if possible — sun exposure between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
- Do not use tanning beds
For more information visit the Save Your Skin Foundation website.
