Frightening skin cancer facts

More than 1.5 million new cases of skin cancer are diagnosed each year in the United States.
One in five Americans and one in three Caucasians will develop skin cancer in the course of a lifetime.
Nationally, there are more new cases of skin cancer each year than the combined incidence of cancers of the breast, prostate, lung, and colon.

More than 90 percent of all skin cancers are caused by sun exposure, yet fewer than 33 percent of adults, adolescents, and children routinely use sun protection.

The incidence of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, is rising faster than that of any other cancer. There are now nearly 8,000 melanoma deaths every year.One person dies every hour from skin cancer, primarily melanoma.By 2020, melanoma is projected to rise to one in 40 Americans. While melanoma is uncommon in African-Americans, Latinos, and Asians, it is most deadly for these populations.

Skin cancer is the No. 1 cancer in white men 50 and older. Middle-aged and older men have the poorest track record for performing monthly skin self exams or regularly visiting a dermatologist. They are the least likely individuals to detect melanoma in its early stages.

Men over age 40 spend the most time outdoors and have the highest annual exposure to ultraviolet radiation.In the past 30 years, skin cancer has tripled in women younger than 40.Melanoma is the second most common cancer in women aged 20-29.One blistering sunburn in childhood more than doubles a person’s chances of developing melanoma later in life.

Regular sun protection throughout childhood can reduce the risk of skin cancer by 80 percent.It is estimated that 2.3 million teens visit a tanning salon at least once a year.In the past 20 years there has been more than a 100 percent increase in the cases of pediatric melanoma.Less than half of all teenagers use sunscreen.The effects of photo aging can be seen as early as in one’s 20s.