Your risk of developing skin cancer is greater if you wear a baseball cap or flip flops or if you drive with the window down, according to researchers from Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Ill and the University of Washington in Seattle.
According to Medical News Today, Dr. Rebecca Tung, director of Loyola's dermatology division, said: "Most skin cancers occur on the parts of the body that are repeatedly exposed to the sun. The problem with flip-flops and baseball caps is that they leave the tips of the ears and the tops of the feet dangerously exposed to sun damage. The potential for skin cancers in those areas are real, especially on the tips of the ears."
People used to wear broad-brimmed hats and sneakers when venturing outdoors, "but now those areas of their bodies have very little protection. Combine that with the fact that most people using sunscreen frequently overlook those parts of their bodies when applying it. That's not a very good combination," Tung added.
Meanwhile, researchers from the University of Washington in Seattle found that Americans are more likely to get skin cancer on their left arm than their right, most likely due to the fact that drivers who leave the window down get more sun exposure on the left arm than the right.
For Australians, who drive on the opposite side of the road, pre-cancerous growths were more common on their right arms than their left arms.
According to the Cancer Society, more than one million non-melanoma cancers are diagnosed every year in the U.S. Most of the cases are thought to be related to sun exposure and typically develop on parts of the body that are exposed to the sun the most -- lips, neck, ears, face and the backs of the hands.
