ST. PETRSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) — Temperatures may be cooling down but the sun’s rays are still dangerous for our skin.

Experts say ultra violet rays can damage your skin regardless of the season. This comes at a time when skin cancer rates are on the rise.

According to the American Cancer Society, the Sunshine State has the second-highest rate of new melanoma cases.

“That damage that has been done, has been done, and with skin, it’s cumulative,” said Dr. Alexander Dane, a Board-Certified Dermatologist with Advanced Dermatology and Cosmetic Surgery. “So a lot of people now that we do skin cancer surgery on, they’re adults, and they say, look, I haven’t been out in the sun in years, I don’t know what this is. A lot of times they’re from, kids back in the day, they didn’t really use sunscreen.”

Dane said you can’t undo sun damage, which is why it’s so important to protect yourself from further sun damage. He says it is best to avoid being in the sun during the peak hours, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

If you have to be in the sun, Dane recommends wearing protective clothing and sunscreen, even for quick trips outside.

“Wearing protective clothing, a wide-brim hat, and using sunscreen on those areas that we kind of forget, the ears, the nose, your eyebrows, even the lips. I can’t tell you how many skin cancer surgeries I do on the lips,” Dane said. “SPF 30 can give you about 97% to 98% protection from the sun’s rays, which is great.”

You can also find sunscreens to protect you against blue light, which Dane said can cause damage too.

“That also can contribute to photo-aging, so sometimes people have conditions where they get hyperpigmentation, blue light can contribute to that,” he said. “So now a lot of sunscreens you’ll see it says high energy visible light coverage as well, HEV, so that’s something to look for.”

Dane said it’s important to keep an eye on your skin for any changes and get regular skin checks.

You can find Dane on social media for more tips under the handle, The Skin Doctor.