Myth or Fact?

More than a million new cases of skin cancer will be diagnosed this year. Most are easily treated. Some patients however, will develop melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer. Prevention of skin cancer starts with protection from the UV rays. Damage from those rays is cumulative over time. For education purposes, a few myths or facts about sun exposure are provided here.

You can not get sunburned on a cloudy day, myth. Even through the clouds the UV radiation can damage your unprotected skin.

Wrinkles and skin changes we attribute to aging usually occur from getting too much sun, fact.

Dark-skinned people do not get skin cancer, myth. Skin cancer can develop on any skin type, everyone should be checked regularly.

You must expose yourself to the sun to get Vitamin D, myth. You can get vitamin D though a healthy diet and with vitamin supplements.

Twenty minutes of sunlight exposure per day is enough for your body to synthesize Vitamin D, fact.

Self-tanning products contain sunscreen, myth. Some self-tanning products have sunscreen added, but most do not.

People with blond or red hair and blue or green eyes are more likely to develop skin cancer, fact.