Dermatologists have long cited the sobering statistic that one blistering sunburn in childhood doubles a person’s lifetime chances of developing melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. Now, Mayo Clinic researchers have given us a similarly scary new stat: Sustaining five or more sunburns by any age doubles your lifetime risk of developing any form of skin cancer.

Inflation, Inflation Everywhere

Reporting on this research, the Mayo Clinic’s Health Letter noted other alarming new data as well, reflecting what they called “an unrecognized epidemic of skin cancer” in the U.S. All the trends are in the same direction – upwards:

• The percentage of women under age 40 with the most common form of skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma (BCC), tripled between 1976 and 2003, while the rate for squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), the second most common skin cancer, quadrupled. In the past, these cancers were generally considered a major problem only for people over age 50.
• Just 60 percent, rather than the usual 90 percent, of skin cancers identified in this research occurred on body sites that are typically sun-exposed, such as the head and neck. The remaining cancers were mainly found on the torso, a phenomenon that the researchers suspect may have resulted from widespread use of tanning beds.

The important thing to remember about these statistics is that they’re only numbers. They needn’t apply to you personally if you routinely take the following precautions recommended by The Skin Cancer Foundation to protect yourself against the sun’s (and tanning machines’) harmful ultraviolet rays:

• Seek the shade, especially between 10 A.M. and 4 P.M.
• Do not burn.
• Use a sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher every day. Apply 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) to your entire body 30 minutes before going outside. Reapply every two hours. (But remember, sunscreen should never be an excuse to stay out in the sun longer.)
• Cover up with clothing, including a broad-brimmed hat and UV-blocking sunglasses.
• Keep newborns out of the sun. Sunscreens should be used on babies over the age of six months.
• Examine your skin from head to toe once every month.
• Avoid tanning and UV tanning salons.