Along with lung cancer, whose primary cause is the use of tobacco products, skin cancer may the most preventable form of cancer afflicting man. Its main cause is over-exposure or unprotected exposure to the sun. There are three types of skin cancer and all of them are highly preventable and, if detected early, highly curable. The three forms of skin cancer are: basal-cell carcinoma; squamous-cell carcinoma; melanoma. Basal-cell carcinoma and squamous-cell carcinoma are the most common types of skin cancer and the least deadly. Melanoma occurs much less frequently, but is often fatal, “Although melanoma accounts for only 5% of reported skin cancer cases, it causes over 75% of skin-cancer related deaths” (What 1).
Without debate, exposure to the sun is the most significant cause of melanoma and the more common non-melanoma skin cancers. One of the most disturbing problems regarding skin cancer is that, even though proper protection from the sun can drastically reduce its incidence, its incidence has dramatically risen over the past two decades killing almost as many Americans as all the other types of cancers combined, “From 1973 to 1990, malignant melanoma incidence rates doubled. It is estimated that nearly one million new cases of skin cancer occur each year in the United States, almost equal to all other cancers combined” (Appling 1). There are many factors suspected in the growing incidence of skin cancer. One of these is the depletion of the ozone layer which allows more skin damaging ultraviolet rays to reach the earth’s surface. The migration of more Americans to sun-belt states and warmer climates is also linked to the rising incidence. Unfortunately, one of the factors that hasn’t changed that is responsible for the high rate of incidence is public perception. Despite the well promoted risks of exposure to the sun as a risk factor for developing skin cancer (and other skin damaging affects), peo...