Enjoy the sun, but keep these tips in mind

Though the temperatures fluctuated wildly last month, summer unofficially kicked off last weekend, and the hottest days of the year are fast approaching. Before you take off for the beach or the park, it’s important to take precautions to protect your skin from damaging sun rays that could cause skin cancer or melanoma.

Nassau County teamed up with a local nonprofit to declare May Melanoma Awareness Month. The organization, the Colette Coyne Melanoma Awareness Campaign, sponsored a 5K walk/run on May 15 at Eisenhower Park. We encourage people — and their doctors and other health care providers — to continue to focus on the dangers of skin cancer right through the summer.

There’s good reason to take precautions before you head to a beach party or backyard barbecue wearing only a tank top, stop by a tanning salon before your friend’s wedding or spread out a towel by the ocean or pool. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the U.S., with more than 1 million cases diagnosed each year.

Despite our cultural cues, there’s no such thing as a “healthy” tan, and excessive sun exposure, especially if you have a fair complexion, puts you at increased risk of developing skin cancer, according to Dr. Rajiv Datta, medical director of South Nassau Communities Hospital’s Cancer Center. Other risk factors include having numerous moles, having suffered severe, blistering sunburns at one time or another and a family history of skin cancer.

The three types of skin cancer are basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and the deadliest form, melanoma. According to the American Cancer Society, more than 68,000 melanomas will be diagnosed this year, and nearly 8,700 cases will prove fatal. And while the skin cancer survival rate has increased from 49 percent in the 1950s to 92 percent between 1996 and 2003, more than 20 Americans die of the cancer each day.

Early detection is crucial, so give your skin a regular once-over. According to an informational release by Nassau County Clerk Maureen O’Connell, a former nurse who was once the ranking member of the state Assembly’s Health Committee, you can detect melanoma by using what is known as the ABCD rule. The more worrisome bodily marks share these characteristics:

■ Asymmetry — one half of a mole or birthmark looks different than the other half.

■ Border — the edges of the blemish are irregular and ragged-looking.

■ Color — not uniform, and having shades of brown or black, with patches of red, white or blue.

■ Diameter — greater than 1/4 inch and growing.
The American Academy of Dermatologists recommends the following steps to help you reduce the risk of developing skin cancer:

■ Minimize exposure to the sun between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.

■ Apply sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15 that protects against both UVA and UVB rays to all areas of the body that are exposed to the sun.

■ Reapply it every two hours, even on cloudy days. If you’re playing ball, tossing a Frisbee or otherwise working up a sweat, reapply even more often. If you need proof of how crucial sunscreen is, watch the lifeguards at the beach. They slather it on from early morning to late afternoon.

■ Wear loose-fitting, light-colored clothing that covers the body and shades the face. A hat is key, as it will help protect the neck, ears, eyes, forehead, scalp and nose.

■ Avoid exposure to the UV radiation of the sunlamps used at tanning parlors.

■ Make an appointment with a dermatologist for a skin cancer screening, and make it an annual ritual.

Yes, you can still enjoy the beach season; there’s no need to hide indoors until Labor Day. Just keep these precautions in mind, and keep your skin cancer-free.