A tan – your body''s attempt to protect itself from the sun''s damaging rays – is actually nature’s way of telling you you’ve already had more than enough.
There are three main types of skin cancer. Melanoma, the least common but most serious, is responsible for three-quarters of annual US skin cancer deaths. This year almost 9,800 Americans will die of skin cancer – 7,400 of them from melanoma. The other two types, basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, are often referred to together as non-melanoma skin cancer. Basal cell carcinoma is by far the most common skin cancer, followed by squamous cell carcinoma. According to the American Cancer Society, “Most non-melanoma skin cancers develop on sun-exposed areas of the body, like the face, ear, neck, lips, and the backs of the hands.”
Easy to Avoid and Usually Treatable
Skin cancer is largely preventable, simply by avoiding sun and sunlamp exposure. Yet the number of skin cancer cases keeps growing. The American Cancer Society says that since 1973, the incidence rate of melanoma has increased about 4% every year. As recently as 1995, the ACS reported approximately 800,000 new cases of non-melanoma skin cancer. In 2001, that number had risen to more than 1 million new cases.
The incidence of malignant melanomas is also increasing: in 1995 the ACS predicted about 34,100 new cases. In 2001, that number had risen to 51,400. This year, the number of new of malignant melanoma cases is expected to reach 53,600.
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