--- title: Skin Cancer is Up, Where's Better Sunscreen? description: The rate of skin cancer has doubled over the last 30 years. Is sunscreen still the best way to cover up? canonical: https://time.com/3907272/skin-cancer-rates-melanoma/ author: Alexandra Sifferlin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-06-03T16:14:17.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:41:12.565Z article:section: Health og:title: Skin Cancer is Up, Where's Better Sunscreen? og:description: The rate of skin cancer has doubled over the last 30 years. Is sunscreen still the best way to cover up? og:url: https://time.com/3907272/skin-cancer-rates-melanoma/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2a0ea7d29eb28293/698852d055a8591e98a8c550/482438313-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4100 og:image:height: 2306 og:image:alt: 482438313 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Skin Cancer is Up, Where's Better Sunscreen? twitter:description: The rate of skin cancer has doubled over the last 30 years. Is sunscreen still the best way to cover up? twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2a0ea7d29eb28293/698852d055a8591e98a8c550/482438313-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Here's Why Skin Cancer Rates Are Up—and How to Protect Yourself > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. 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Health Matters is TIME's daily health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free daily newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ## Video: Best Weather Apps [Watch (HLS stream): Best Weather Apps](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/ypJD6Kin.m3u8) (1:06)  _Published 2014-09-15. Top apps for tracking tornadoes, hurricanes, allergies and more_ by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Jun 3, 2015 4:14 PM UTC  Sunburst in sky Sunburst in sky Getty Images by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Jun 3, 2015 4:14 PM UTC The rate of skin cancer has doubled over the last 30 years, [according to new federal data](http://time.com/3906871/skin-cancer-rates/). Melanoma, specifically—which is the deadliest kind of skin cancer—is on the rise, and according to the latest research, the yearly cost of treating it is estimated to triple to a total of $1.6 billion in the year 2030. One way to prevent skin cancer is to cover up, and sunscreen is typically a go-to to protect skin in the summer heat. However, recent data has suggested that while sunscreens add protection, they aren’t necessarily up to snuff and often brands make coverage claims they can’t really deliver. There’s also the fact that many Americans still don’t wear it daily (and many still use indoor tanning beds). ### You Asked: Your Top 10 Health Questions Answered  You Asked: Are Cleanses Healthy? Potions that claim to clear your body of toxins might sound alluring, but do they deliver? Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: Is Eating Dessert Really That Bad For Me? Bad news for sweet-eaters—except if you end your meals with this kind of treat. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: What’s the Best Way to Whiten My Teeth? Yes, teeth whitening actually works—but here's why you have to dish out major bucks to see results. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: Is Meditation Really Worth It? From easing stress to lowering heart disease risk, focusing your mind can do some amazing things for your body. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: What’s the Healthiest Sweetener? Take a taste of the unsettled science of sweeteners. 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Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME A [recent report from the Environmental Working Group](http://time.com/3883293/sunscreen-spf/) showed that many sunscreens offer poor coverage or have ingredients that the organization views as worrisome. Some brands market their SPF 70 or SPF 100+ even though they don’t really have much more protection than SPF 50. New, better sunscreen ingredients could help. Recently, [legislation was passed](http://time.com/3611787/better-sunscreen-law/) to make the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to more quickly respond to pending applications for new ingredients to add to sunscreens. Many of these ingredients have already been available in sunscreens abroad for years. The law is supposed to make the agency act more promptly, and hopefully result in sunscreens with better protection for Americans. The [FDA also said](http://www.fda.gov/forconsumers/consumerupdates/ucm258416.htm) years ago that it would crack down on sunscreen regulation, by putting a cap on SPF at a max of SPF 50, establish standards for testing the effectiveness, and enforce better labeling. So what’s the best way to stay protected? Keep wearing sunscreen (data suggests [Americans could do a better job](http://time.com/3883293/sunscreen-spf/)), but abide by other measures too. Health experts recommend covering exposed skin with clothing, avoiding time in the sun between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m, and remembering to reapply sunscreen—a teaspoon per body part—at least every two hours. _Read next:_ [_You Asked: Is Sunscreen Safe — and Do I Really Need It Daily?_](http://time.com/3056125/you-asked-is-sunscreen-safe-and-do-i-really-need-it-daily/?iid=time%5Freadnext) [_Listen to the most important stories of the day._](http://time.com/newsletter/the-brief/autoplay/?xid=spl-fullbrief-article) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3907272/skin-cancer-rates-melanoma/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3907272/skin-cancer-rates-melanoma/"},"headline":"Here's Why Skin Cancer Rates Are Up—and How to Protect Yourself","datePublished":"2015-06-03T16:14:17.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:41:12.565Z","description":"Skin cancer rates have risen significantly, what's the best way to stay protected?","url":"https://time.com/3907272/skin-cancer-rates-melanoma/","keywords":["Cancer","skin cancer","sun","sunscreen","melanoma"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2a0ea7d29eb28293/698852d055a8591e98a8c550/482438313-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alexandra Sifferlin","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2a0ea7d29eb28293/698852d055a8591e98a8c550/482438313-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"482438313","caption":"482438313","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/cancer/","name":"Cancer"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3907272/skin-cancer-rates-melanoma/","name":"Here's Why Skin Cancer Rates Are Up—and How to Protect Yourself"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Best Weather Apps","description":"Top apps for tracking tornadoes, hurricanes, allergies and more","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/ypJD6Kin/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2014-09-15T18:40:29.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/ypJD6Kin.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3907272/skin-cancer-rates-melanoma/","duration":"PT1M6S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3907272/skin-cancer-rates-melanoma/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```