1. May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month

2. In our society tan skin is considered to be beautiful and healthy
Many people spend many hours and a lot of money to achieve that perfect tan.

3. What they don’t realize is that the perfect tan will only last for a short time, but the damage done will be life long.
Next time you think you want that tan - think about the pictures you see in this slide show and ask yourself:
IS IT REALLY WORTH IT?

4. Skin Cancer
Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States
Skin cancer cells that move to other organs in the body becomes life threatening
There are several different types of skin cancer:
the two most common are called
basal cell
squamous cell carcinomas
the most dangerous form is called
melanoma

5. Basal Cell Skin Cancer on the Face

6. Squamous Cell Carcinomas on the Hand and Foot

7. Melanoma on the Face and Eye

8. Statistics About Skin Cancer
53,919 people in the US were diagnosed with melanomas.
30,560 men
23,359 women
50,518 whites
1068 Hispanics
311 blacks
170 Asian/Pacific Islanders
91 American Indians/Alaska natives
What group(s) do you fit in?

9. Risk Factors for Skin Cancer
Exposure to ultraviolet light
This includes the sun, tanning beds, and tanning lamps

10. Risk Factors for Skin Cancer
Family history of skin cancer

11. Risk Factors for Skin Cancer
History of sunburns - especially early in life

12. Risk Factors for Skin Cancer
Skin that burns, freckles, reddens easily, in the sun

13. Risk Factors for Skin Cancer
Blonde or red hair
Although blonde and red haired people have a higher risk, anyone can get skin cancer not matter what the hair color.

14. Risk Factors for Skin Cancer
Blue or green eyes:
Like hair color – eye color only increases the chances.
Anyone no matter what their eye color is can get skin cancer

15. Risk Factors for Skin Cancer
Certain types and large number of moles

16. Symptoms of Skin Cancer
It's so important to get to know your skin very well and to recognize any changes.
Look for the ABCDEs of melanoma
If you see one or more, make an appointment with a physician immediately.

17. ABCDE Symptoms
Asymmetry: one half of the abnormal skin area is different than the other half
If you draw a line through this mole, the two halves will not match.

18. Asymmetry
Symmetrical = Benign
Asymmetrical = Malignant

19. ABCDE Symptoms Borders: irregular borders
The borders of an early melanoma tend to be uneven.
The edges may be scalloped or notched.

20. Borders
Border Even = Benign
Border Uneven = Malignant

21. ABCDE Symptoms
Color: varies from one area to another with shades of tan, brown, or black (sometimes white, red, blue)

22. Color
One Color = Benign
Two or more colors = Malignant

23. ABCDE Symptoms
Diameter: usually (but not always) larger than 6 mm in size (diameter of a pencil eraser)

24. Diameter
Smaller than ¼ inch = Benign
Lager than ¼ inch = Malignant

25. ABCDE Symptoms Elevation:
Elevation means the mole is raised above the surface and has an uneven surface.

26. How to Protect From Skin Cancer
Use a sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher
Apply to your entire body 30 minutes before going outside.
Reapply every two hours.
Don’t forget your hands, feet, and ears

27. How to Protect From Skin Cancer
Seek the shade, especially between 10 A.M. and 4 P.M.
UV rays are at the highest during these times

28. How to Protect From Skin Cancer
Do not burn!
One sunburn in a lifetime doubles the chances of skin cancer

29. How to Protect From Skin Cancer
Cover up with clothing, including a broad-brimmed hat and UV-blocking sunglasses.

30. How to Protect From Skin Cancer
Examine your skin head-to-toe every month.
Look for changes and warning signs.

31. How to Protect From Skin Cancer
See your physician every year for a professional skin exam.

32. Protection
Avoid sun tanning and UV tanning booths.

33. Tanning Beds
Nearly 30 million people in the U.S. tan in tanning salons every year.
On average, that's more than 1 million people a day who are baking themselves under tanning lamps.
More than 70% of them are Caucasian females aged 16 to 49 years.

34. Tanning Beds
The younger you are when you start indoor tanning, the greater your risk of melanoma.
Your risk of melanoma increases by 75 percent if you're exposed to tanning beds before the age of 35.

35. Tanning Beds
Traditional tanning beds and sun lamps typically give off about three times the UVA rays that are emitted by the sun.
New, high-pressure sunlamps emit doses of both UVA and UVB rays that can be as much as 15 times that of the sun.

36. Tanning Beds
Using a tanning bed more than 10 times a year made people seven times more likely to develop malignant melanoma than those who did not use tanning beds as often .

37. The risk of melanoma increases by 300% for those using tanning beds occasionally.
The risk of melanoma increases 800% for those using tanning beds more than 10 times a year.
The damage might not be seen immediately – just give it few years

38. The FDA estimates that 38,000 people will be diagnosed with melanoma this year in
7,300 people will die from this condition.

39. A tan does not indicate good health.
A tan is only a response to injury of the skin cells.

40. Notice in the following pictures; most of the people are over the age of 30.
This is when the cancer was seen and diagnosed, but the damage had been done several years earlier.
So next time you want that perfect tan ask yourself:
IS IT WORTH IT?

41. Is It Worth It?

42. Is It Worth It?

43. Is It Worth It?

44. Is It Worth It?

45. Is It Worth It?

46. Is It Worth It?

47. Is It Worth It?

48. Is It Worth It?

49. Is It Worth It?

50. How beautiful is that tan now?