Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. There are an estimated 600,000 new cases each year. The high increase in cases is attributed to previous sun exposure, x-ray usage and UV light exposure for long periods of time.
Simply put, your time in the sun can be hazardous to your health! The lenght of time you spend in the sun and the time of day when you sunbathe, can affect your skin in the years to come. Science has now shown that the UV levels seen now are much higher than in years past. This seems to be due to the reduction in the ozone layer in our atmosphere. This ozone reduction is due to increased use of flurocarbons in previous years past and which are now illegal. Tanning or having a suntan, is your skin's response to UV light. This is a protective reaction to prevent further skin injury. Unfortunately, thisWILL NOT prevent you from getting skin cancer.
Skin cancer can take years to develop as it is one of the slowest growing cancers. Sunburns seen today may take 20 years or so to develop. That is why prevention now is important.
Skin cancer is more common in people with light or fair coloring. It can occur anywhere on your body, but is usually seen on areas that are repeatedly exposed to the sun: face, arms, neck and hands.
The following steps are recommended by the AAD, (American Academy of Dermatology) and the Skin Cancer Fountain to reduce the risk of sunburn.
Minimize sun exposure at midday and between the hours of 10am and 3pm.
Reapply sunscreen every 2 hours or as the directions state, even on cloudy days.
© 1997 windjammer@teleweb.net
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