Skin Cancer reaches epidemic proportions

Skin Cancer has reached epidemic proportions worldwide over the past several years.  Skin Cancer is the most common cancer of all – and some of it deadly.

The most common type, known as basal-cell carcinoma, numbers 800,000 annual cases.  The next most common type is squamous-cell carcinoma, with about 400,000 new cases a year.

Melanoma, a cancer that forms in the skin’s pigment cells, is the type that’s potentially deadly, killing about 8,000 Americans annually. It’s an equal-opportunity illness, with an estimated 34,950 cases diagnosed last year in men and an estimated 27,530 in women (National Institute for Health, April 2009).

Worse yet, the rate of melanoma, the most dangerous of skin cancers is doubling every 8 years.  In fact the lifetime chance of getting skin cancer is 1 in 5.  Using sunscreen  faithfully your whole life will cut your risks [of incurring skin cancer] dramatically.”

With the damaging effects of the sun illustrated by the medical profession and throughout the news, usage of sun screen has become a necessity. A culture once enamored with a golden tan is increasingly aware of not only premature aging of skin often associated with continuous sun exposure, but with the long-term danger of skin cancer as a result of unprotected exposure.