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Melanoma Facts
- 90% or more of melanoma is
caused by ultraviolet
(UV) radiation either from
the sun or tanning salons
- 50% of lifetime exposure to
UV light occurs during childhood
and adolescence, but sunburn
at any age causes melanoma
- Melanoma is epidemic: rising
faster than any other cancer
and projected to affect one person
in 50 by 2010, currently it affects
1 in 75. In 1935, only one in
1500 was struck by the disease
- One person dies every hour
from melanoma
- Melanoma is the most common
cancer in women ages 25-29 and
second only to breast cancer
in women 30-34
- Melanoma costs over $740 million
dollars annually
- Doctors don't regularly screen
for melanoma and patients often
find their own so learn
how to check your skin. Check
your skin every three months
and look for free
skin cancer screening opportunities. Be
especially attentive to moles
that change.
- Video
on checking your skin.
- Illustrations on checking your
skin.
- Early detection survival rate
is nearly 99% but late stage
detection prognosis is frequently
life threatening
- Nearly 30 million people tan
in tanning
salons annually
- Exposure to tanning lamps before
age 35 increases melanoma risk
by 75%
- New high-pressure sunlamps
emit doses of UVR that is 15
times that of the sun
But most important, melanoma
is likely preventable with
good sun safety habits learned
and practiced early in life!
The Scoop on Sun Safety
Practicing good sun safety is
a giant step in reducing the risk
of skin cancer—daily
UV exposure adds up and creates
long term risks for skin cancer.
Children
are especially at risk. Did
you know that a person born today
is twice as likely to develop malignant
melanoma compared to someone born
only 10 years ago and 12 times
more likely than people of their
grandparents generation? And,
can you believe that it can take
less than 10 minutes for a child’s
skin to burn?
Kids learn and are more likely
to continue to practice healthy
behaviors if they are taught to
them at a young age. So—start
now—don’t wait. Teach
them the sun safe ‘ABCs’ and
as an adult, consistently model
good sun safety for them—with
this, you are giving the gift of
healthy skin!
- Use a sunscreen of at least
SPF 15 and apply plenty (about
1 oz---that is about the amount
that fits in your palm)
- Apply sunscreen 30 minutes
before going outside
- Reapply sunscreen every 90
minutes or after swimming, towel
drying or perspiring, even if
it is labeled waterproof. Get
it all—lips, ears, hands, feet
- Make sunscreen application
a routine, daily event in your
home and teach children to help
with their sunscreen at an early
age
B: BASK in the Shade
- Sun is at a peak from 10am-4pm,
encourage kids to look for shaded
play areas
- Come up with creative shade
options—tent forts, fabric
hung on a clothes line, and umbrellas
are fun options
- During peak UV seasons, plan
daily activities to avoid direct
sun during midday and check
the daily
UV Index
- Check your shadow—if
you stand in the sun and see
a shadow shorter than you are,
then the sun’s rays are
intense and you need to protect
yourself
- Encourage schools and playgrounds
in your community to build shaded
play areas, deveop sun
hat programs,
and to create sun
safety curriculum
- Encourage youth sports teams
to teach
sun safety
C: COVER up
- Wear sun protective clothing
including long sleeved shirts
and pants
- Look for UPF
rated clothing if you are
in the intense sun for long
periods of time
- Choose tightly woven, thick
and darker fabrics that offer
better sun protection
- When fabric is wet, it loses
much of its ability to protect
you from sun
- Wear a wide-brimmed hat that
protects head, face, ears and
neck. If a baseball cap is worn,
make sure to use sunscreen on
ears and neck
- Wear UV-protective sunglasses
with 99%-100% UV absorption
And—strongly discourage
the use of tanning beds. THERE
IS NO SUCH THING AS A ‘SAFE
TAN!’
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