Whether you have a family history of skin cancer or if you have just read or heard about how common it is, you could be concerned about the potential of developing it yourself. Of course, skin cancer can happen to anyone, but there are things that you can do to protect yourself. If you follow these tips, you can help protect yourself.

Protect Yourself from the Sun

Perhaps most importantly, you should protect yourself from the sun. These are three sun protection tips that can help you protect yourself from getting skin cancer:

1. Always wear sunscreen when you're going to be outdoors. This is important all year long, even when it's cold outside or when it's cloudy.
2. Cover yourself when you're going to be spending time outdoors. Wearing pants and a long-sleeve shirt can help you protect yourself. It's also a good idea to wear a hat to help shield your face from the sun.
3. Avoid going to the tanning bed. Even though you might be hoping for a bronze glow when you're getting ready to go on vacation or hit the pool during the summer, tanning can put you at an increased risk of skin cancer. Instead, consider using a self-tanning product at home, or go to a professional salon for a spray tan.

Live a Healthy Lifestyle

Focusing on living a healthy lifestyle can help you reduce your chances of developing any type of cancer, including skin cancer. Make sure that you maintain a healthy weight, exercise regularly, enjoy a healthy diet and otherwise take good care of yourself. Not only can these things help you reduce the risk of cancer, but they can help you maintain better overall health as well.

See a Dermatologist Regularly

Visiting a dermatology clinic regularly is smart so that you can watch out for signs of skin cancer. If you notice anything amiss with your skin, it's a good idea to schedule an appointment with a dermatologist. Even if you don't notice anything, however, seeing a dermatologist can help you catch any skin-related issues, including skin cancer, as early as possible. Then, you can seek treatment right away, which can help you increase your chances of success.

Skin cancer can be incredibly dangerous. In some cases,  it can even be deadly. Of course, there is no surefire way that you can completely prevent skin cancer, but if you follow these tips and any advice that you're given by your dermatologist or primary care doctor, you can help protect yourself.