According to the calendar, summer is here. Although June 21 marks the date when dusk gets earlier and dawn is later, it also marks the time of year when you may close your eyes and turn your face to the sun. The soothing warmth of the sun's rays on your skin feels so good you are likely to spend more time being a sun-worshiper. Increase skin exposure and your body takes on the healthy look of a suntan.

Despite the image of a tan being "healthy," excessive exposure to the sun is responsible for much of the skin damage associated with aging. Most of the damage is merely cosmetic, but some can be deadly. Excessive sun exposure is the leading cause of skin cancer, by far the most common form of cancer diagnosed today. Almost half of all Americans who reach age 65 will develop a skin cancer at least once.

Unprotected skin can be harmed by the sun's ultraviolet rays in as little as 15 minutes though it can take up to 12 hours for skin to show the full effect of sun exposure. Serious sunburns, especially those that occur during childhood and adolescence, can increase the chances of developing the more serious form of skin cancer, malignant melanoma, later in life. That is why you need to be savvy about protecting your skin every time you go outside-even when it is cloudy.

You protect your skin by using products that have SPF on the label. SPF stands for sun protection factor. SPF rating tell you how much longer using that product will allow you to be in the sun without getting a sunburn. For example: If you usually start to burn after about 20 minutes, proper use of products with an SPF factor of 2 will protect you for about 40 minutes and proper use of SPF 15 protects you for about five hours (15 X 20 = 300 minutes).

Studies show that products with a SPF of 30 provides great protection from harmful UV rays. A higher rated product is no better. But here's the rub, so to speak. Sunscreen users often apply only 50% of the recommended amount, so they receive only 50% of the SPF protection the product offers. In other words, if you apply just a small amount of a SPF 30 sunscreen, you'll only get the protection of a SPF 15.

Most people now know that using a sunscreen, even on cloudy days when burning rays can pass through the clouds, is the best defense, beyond any pre-disposition you have because of your genetic makeup, for preventing wrinkles. Don't forget to treat your lips. They contain few oil and sweat glands and no melanin to protect them from moisture-robbing UV rays. Instead of using lip balms that contain camphor, menthol or phenol, use products with moisture-sealing ingredients and SPF protection.

There are four more things you can do to decrease

• 1. Learn to sleep on your back-preferably in a head-elevated position. This reduces the puffiness most of us see in the mirror each morning.
• 2. Don't smoke. Overuse of the muscles used to draw in the smoke can cause as many wrinkles as the constriction of blood vessels caused by the heat and smoke of the cigarette itself.
• 3. Don't use alcohol on your face. It's too drying, even for oily skin
• 4. Don't wash your face too often. Twice a day is enough, unless you exercise when your post exercise routine should include washing away any sweat that could be drying to your face as it evaporates.

Have a skin savvy summer.