The American Academy of Dermatology has revealed that a large number of people are still unaware of the damages arousing due to the exposure of the skin to sun which nurtures cancer development.

Dermatologist Dr. Zoe D. Draelos, consulting professor at Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, explained that the study that despite the numerous warnings released by the expert institutions, majority of the people did not answer the survey questionnaire properly.

It was found that only one- third of a total of 7000 people surveyed, could not answer that both ultraviolet A and ultraviolet B are unsafe for the skin.

"Quite simply, all forms of UV exposure, whether from natural sunlight or artificial light sources found in tanning beds, are unsafe and are the No. 1 preventable risk factor for skin cancer", said Draelos.

Around half of the people said that they believe that base tanning reduces the harmful effects of the sunrays, which is certainly not true.

Draelos explained that already tanning is harmful for the skin and a further exposure to the sunrays is likely to worsen the skin.

He added that the best way to protect the skin is applying sunscreen lotion and wearing sun glasses and shades.