PROTECT YOURSELF

Suggestions from Treasure Valley dermatologist Dr. James Stewart and Patti Moran, comprehensive cancer control program manager for Idaho.

® When it comes to sunscreen, make comfort a top priority. If you buy a brand that feels good on your skin, you're more likely to use it. Reapply sunscreen every two hours, even if the product says it's waterproof or sweat proof. Some of the products Dr. Stewart uses are Oil of Olay Complete SPF 30 Defense Daily UV Moisturizer - Sensitive Skin, which is available off the shelf, and Vanicream spf 35, which you can buy on the Internet. Stewart sells it in his office as a courtesy for $12 a tube, he said.

® Create your own shade. Wear a broad-brimmed hat that shades your neck and ears, take an umbrella to the beach, wear long-sleeved pants and shirts.

® Urge public officials to create more shade structures at places such as public swimming pools.

® Stay vigilant on cloudy days. You still can get burned.

® Ask your doctor whether you should see a dermatologist to have regular skin checks

® Skip the tanning booth.

® If you are a golfer, wear two gloves.

® Avoid extended time outside from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., when the rays are most damaging.

® Wear sunglasses that protect your eyes against eye diseases and cataracts caused by the sun.

® Wear lip balm with an SPF rating. Otherwise, your lips can burn.

® Don't put sunscreen on babies younger than 6 months old. Shade them instead.

® See a doctor if you have a mole that doesn't look right. A doctor should check any mole bigger than a pencil eraser. Call the Idaho CareLine at 211 to get more information about early detection and other issues.

KINDS OF SKIN CANCER

Basal cell carcinoma

It is the most common form of non-melanoma cancer in the United States. According to the American Cancer Society, 75 percent of all skin cancers are basal cell carcinomas. It starts in the top layer of the skin and grows slowly.

Squamous cell carcinoma

It is the second-most common form of non-melanoma skin cancer. It rarely causes problems when caught and treated early. Untreated, it can spread to other parts of your body, causing serious complications.

Melanoma

It is serious and difficult to treat in its later stages, it isresponsible for 75 percent of all skin cancer deaths.

Sources: Medline Plus, Mayo Clinic.org, McClatchy New Services.

THE LOWDOWN ON MELANOMA IN IDAHO

• Sunburn. A 2004 survey found that 48.5% of white adults in Idaho had at least one sunburn in the past year. Sunburns are a significant risk factor for development of skin cancer.

• Melanoma is responsible for 75 percent of all skin cancer deaths.

• Caseload. An estimated 360 state residents were diagnosed with melanoma in 2008.

• Among whites-who are at the highest risk for melanoma-Idaho had the 11th highest melanoma incidence rate in the U.S. from 2001 to 2005.

• New diagnoses. New diagnoses of melanoma increased at a rate of about 3.6% per year in Idaho from 1975 to 2006.

• For men. The rate of increase was higher for males (4.2% per year) than for females (2.8% per year).

• Deaths. Idaho had the highest melanoma death rate nationally from 2001-2005-26% higher than the U.S. average.

• About 40 people in the state die of melanoma every year.

THE SKINNY ON SUNSCREEN

Sunscreens labeled with SPFs as high as 100 are now available. Higher numbers do mean more protection, but many people mistakenly think that the SPF scale is linear - for example, that a sunscreen with an SPF 45 rating would give 3 times as much protection as one with an SPF of 15.

This is not true. SPF 15 sunscreens filter out about 93 percent of UVB rays, while SPF 30 sunscreens filter out about 97 percent, SPF 50 sunscreens about 98 percent, and SPF 100 about 99 percent.

The higher you go, the smaller the difference becomes. No sunscreen provides complete protection. Regardless of the SPF, sunscreen should be reapplied about every two hours.

Source: American Cancer Society