AMERICAN SKIN ASSOCIATION HIGHLIGHTS LIFELONG SKIN HEALTH DURING NATIONAL HEALTHY SKIN MONTH

NEW YORK, Nov. 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- This November, during National Healthy Skin Month, American Skin Association (ASA), a leading nonprofit advancing skin health through research and education, is spotlighting the importance of lifelong skin care.

ASA's Education Council has identified the Seven Principles for a Life Course of Healthy Skin. These core recommendations provide practical, evidence-based guidelines to help individuals at every age maintain healthy skin and improve overall well-being.

To develop these impactful principles, the Education Council surveyed more than 800 medical professionals, including pediatricians, family physicians and dermatologists, to identify the habits they believe most effectively support skin health throughout life. The valuable insights they shared were distilled into the foundation of these seven essentials practices.

The Seven Principles for a Life Course of Healthy Skin are:

1. Minimize Exposure to UV Light. Limit time outdoors between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., apply broad-spectrum sunscreen daily, wear sun-protective clothing, and avoid tanning beds and similar artificial tanning devices entirely.
2. Maintain a healthy lifestyle that includes regular water intake, sleep and exercise. Do not smoke.
3. Visit your dermatologist once a year or as needed.
4. Examine your skin daily, and report concerning changes in skin condition and/or color to your dermatologist or health care professional as soon as possible.
5. Hydrate your skin daily, especially after bathing or showering.
6. Maintain good hygiene for skin, hair and nails by giving gentle and constant attention to avoid irritation.
7. Immediately attend to wounds. To avoid infection and scarring, never pick or squeeze blemishes.

"November helps to remind us that caring for our skin is not superficial; it is essential to our overall health," said ASA Chair Howard P. Milstein. "By adhering to these seven principles, we can empower people at every stage of life to protect, nourish and value the body's largest organ."

American Skin Association unites families, healthcare professionals, patients, and researchers in the fight against a broad range of skin conditions, melanoma and skin cancer. Through its focus on education, particularly via ASA's partnership with the Sun Protection Outreach Teaching by Students (SPOTS) program, ASA seeks to instill lifelong habits that protect against the damaging effects of serious skin disorders.

SPOTS is an award-winning program that educates students from pre-school through high school about the value of early detection and skin cancer prevention. SPOTS brings medical students from across the country into local schools to teach young people the importance of sun safety throughout their lifetime.

"ASA's partnership with SPOTS highlights how education can make a notable difference in promoting lifelong skin health. The SPOTS initiative equips young students with habits that will protect their skin for years to come," said President of ASA, Dr. James G. Krueger.

To learn more about the SPOTS program, visit spotseducation.org.

ABOUT AMERICAN SKIN ASSOCIATION
A unique collaboration of patients, families, advocates, physicians, and scientists, ASA has evolved over nearly four decades as a leading force in efforts to defeat melanoma, vitiligo, psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, and other skin diseases. Established to serve the now more than 100 million Americans — one-third of the U.S. population — afflicted with skin disorders, the organization's mission remains to: advance research, champion skin health, particularly among children, and drive public awareness about skin disease. ASA is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. For more information, visit americanskin.org.

American Skin Association has earned Candid's 2025 Seal of Platinum Transparency and the Four-Star Rating from Charity Navigator.

SOURCE American Skin Association