Summer cookouts, swimming and beach excursions are fun activities for summer, but don’t forget to apply the sunscreen. While summer keeps everybody busy, it’s easy to forget that prolonged exposure to the sun may trigger melanoma.

Melanoma is the most serious form of skin cancer. However, if it is recognized and treated early, it is nearly 100 percent curable. But if it is not, the cancer can advance and spread to other parts of the body, where it becomes hard to treat and can be fatal. While it is not the most common of the skin cancers, it causes the most deaths. The American Cancer Society estimates approximately 62,000 new cases of invasive melanoma will be diagnosed this year.

Other Skin Cancer Facts:

• Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States
• More than one million skin cancers are diagnosed annually
• Each year there are more new cases of skin cancer than the combined incidence of cancers of the breast, prostate, lung and colon
• One in five Americans will develop skin cancer in the course of a lifetime

How to Protect Yourself against the Sun?

Brooke Hohn, MD, a Lakewood Hospital family medicine physician, suggests using a sunscreen with SPF greater than 15. Sun protection factor (SPF) is a number on sunscreen labels that indicates how long skin can be in the sun and maintain a low risk for sunburn.

• The higher the SPF number, the longer it protects a person from burning rays
• SPF of eight protects twice as long as SPF of four
• SPF rating applies only to protection from ultraviolet B (UVB) rays; some sunscreens protect against UVA rays, but they have no SPF rating

While excessive exposure to both kinds of rays can lead to skin cancer, UVA rays are associated with premature aging of the skin and UVB rays are responsible for sunburns.

Other Skin Cancer Prevention Tips:

• Seek shade, especially between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
• Do not burn
• Avoid tanning and UV tanning booths
• Reapply sunscreen every two hours
• Cover up with clothing, wide – brimmed hat and UV – blocking sunglasses
• Keep newborns out of the sun; sunscreens should be used on babies over the age of six months
• Examine your skin every month
• See your physician every year for a professional skin exam

To schedule an appointment with Dr. Hohn to discuss melanoma prevention, or for an annual check up, call 216.227.0717.