May is skin cancer awarness month

Skin cancer is the most common of all cancer
types and the number of skin cancer cases has
been on the rise for the past few decades.
Currently, more than 1 million skin cancers
are diagnosed each year in the United States.
That’s more than cancers of the prostate,
breast, lung, colon, uterus, ovaries, and
pancreas combined.
The good news is that there is a lot you can do
to protect yourself and your family from skin
cancer, or to catch it early enough so that it
can be treated effectively. Most skin cancers
are caused by too much exposure to ultraviolet
(UV) rays. Much of this exposure comes from
the sun, but some may come from manmade
sources, such as tanning beds.
Nonmelanoma skin cancers (usually basal cell
and squamous cell cancers) are the most
common cancers of the skin. They are called
nonmelanoma because this group of cancers
includes all skin cancers except one, malignant
melanoma. Cancers that develop from
melanocytes, the pigment-producing cells of
the skin, are called melanoma.

American Cancer Society


How Much Do You Know
About Sun Safety?
Sun safety is not just for vacation. Are you
sun-safe every day? Take this quiz, then check
your answers on the back of this page!
1. True or false: I can’t get skin cancer, because my
routine (work, drive to work, indoor hobbies, and
vacations) doesn’t include any outdoor activities.
2. True or false: My husband should use sunscreen at
football games, even though he only goes (and gets
a burn!) once or twice a year.
3. True or false: If I’m wearing sunscreen, I can stay in
the sun as long as I want.
4. True or false: A sunscreen labeled SPF 30 blocks
twice as much UV radiation as one labeled SPF 15.
5. True or false: It’s safe to let my children stay in the
pool all day if they slip on a T-shirt after a couple
hours and reapply sunscreen to their faces, arms,
and legs.
6. How often do you need to reapply water-resistant
sunscreen?
a. every 2 hours or sooner
b. after sweating or swimming
c. after you towel dry
d. all of the above
7. True or false: Getting a “base tan” at an indoor tanning
salon is as good way to prevent sunburn when I
go to the beach later this summer.
8. What are the two most common (and painful!) sunscreen
mistakes?
a. choosing an SPF below 15 and missing spots
b. using too little and waiting too long to reapply
9. Now put it all together. You applied sunscreen at
12:00 noon for an afternoon of reading beside the
pool. At 2:00 p.m., which one of the following actions
would best protect your skin?
a. slip on a long cotton sundress
b. move to the shade
c. reapply sunscreen