The Canadian Skin Cancer Foundation is stressing the importance of sun protection this summer.

 

Executive Director Heidi Veluw explains Manitobans should avoid getting sunburn, as it increases the likelihood of developing skin cancer by 75 per cent.

 

Here, Veluw outlines some of the common skin cancers Canadians should be aware of.

 

“People have minor cancers like basal cell carcinoma or Squamous cell. The most deadly skin cancer is melanoma and it’s not as prevalent but if you get it, then it’s a very serious cancer so you have to take all cancers seriously and one of the challenges is to always check to see if you have moles on your body and if they’re changing. And making sure to check with your doctor or dermatologist if you have something on your skin that you’re worried about, it’s not healing , if a mole is changing on your body. So some people have lots of moles, some have less but those are the things to look for.”

 

Veluw says skin cancer is preventable, and people can be proactive by regularly applying sunscreen before going outside, wearing sunglasses, staying in the shade, and avoiding indoor tanning beds.

She specifies that says sunscreen is one of the best things people can use to help lower the risk of sunburns, going on to say,

“The biggest thing for sunscreen is buy it and wear it. Best thing is SPF 30. Not lower than that. And making sure you reapply at all times. So mostly your sunscreen starts wearing off in two hours so in Canada where we get very excited about our summers because we have long winters, but getting a burn is not the way to go. So SPF 30, keep it on ya and keep on reapplying. Especially for little children.”

 

 

For more on sun protection, listen to Thompson Today at 12:40 and 5:10 this afternoon for more on sun protection.