5 Things You Need to Know About Skin Cancer

Skin cancer rates are on the climb, and the sun is the major culprit. Now that summer is here, it’s time to get sun savvy to protect your body’s largest organ.

- By Karen Asp

You hear the same advice every summer: Slather on sunscreen and limit your time in the sun. Those rules still apply, but not everyone is getting the message, and rates of melanoma are on the rise.

Although melanoma isn’t the most common cancer – it’s third behind basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma – it is the most deadly. In 2021, rates of melanoma are expected to rise by 5.8%, and women under 50 are being hit harder than men of the same age. Two reasons explain the rise. “The overall increase in skin cancers has to do with cumulative sun exposure combined with lack of adequate sun block or protection from UVA/UVB rays,” says Ava Shamban, MD, board-certified dermatologist in Los Angeles and founder of Ava MD Dermatology, SkinFive Medical Spas and The Box by Dr. Ava. One in five Americans will develop skin cancer by the age of 70.

This summer, get smarter about your sun exposure. Here are five often-forgotten facts you need to know to protect your skin.

1 YOU SHOULD WEAR SUNSCREEN 365 DAYS A YEAR.