Skin cancer is growing more and more common and getting the facts out there and raising awareness is so crucial if our country wants to get a handle on it. What is really sad is that skin cancer is diagnosed more than any other type of cancer, yet it is the one cancer that is the most preventable. Here are some facts about skin cancer that will shock you.
Over 90% of skin cancer is caused by sun exposure.
The sun’s UV rays are responsible for the non-melanoma skin cancers. Unprotected exposure to UV rays can come from many sources:
- Tanning booths
- Outdoors
- Car
- Windows at home
Skin cancer accounts for more than 50% of all cancers combined.
Skin cancer is diagnosed more among men and women than any other type of cancer.
One person dies every hour from skin cancer.
About 2,800 people will die of non-melanoma skin cancer and about 8,000 will die of melanoma in the U.S. this year.
There will be more than 1 million cases of skin cancer diagnosed annually.
And who are these people saying that tanning booths and sun exposure without the proper protection isn’t a problem?
Men are more likely to be diagnosed with skin cancer than women.
This was a surprising fact for me. I always assumed that more women got skin cancer because of tanning. The American Cancer Society says that men are twice as likely to get skin cancer than women. Skin cancer is the most common cancer in men over 50.
Skin cancer is most deadly for African Americans, Asians, and Latinos.
Although the risk factor is rather low for African Americans, Asians, and Latinos, skin cancer can be the most deadly for these groups.
Approximately one out of three Caucasians will get skin cancer at least once in their life.
For Americans as a whole group including all ethnicities, the numbers go to one out of five developing skin cancer.
One bad sunburn during childhood doubles a person’s risk for developing melanoma at some point in their life.
Always make sure your children are protected against UV exposure when they are outside. Even if they already have a tan they still need to be wearing sunscreen.
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