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Protect your skin early
and often with sunscreen

H awaii is a special place, where we spend time with family and friends or just by ourselves enjoying wonderful outdoor activities so much a part of our islands and culture.

My earliest childhood memories are of Sundays after my dad, an Episcopal minister, and my mom were pau with their duties and would take all five of us kids to the beach for a swim and a picnic dinner. We'd all come home sunburned and happily tired. And my teen years with my friends were beach years as well.

We know so much more now about the sun's power than we did even a decade ago. We know, for example, that the sunburns of our childhood can lead to the skin cancer of our adulthood. We also know that all ethnicities can be affected by skin cancer, not just fair-skinned people like my husband Ed! Our family has seen some brushes with skin cancer and gets checked by a doctor regularly, including Ed and me.

May is Melanoma/Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month. As a member of Congressional Families Action for Cancer Awareness, I have joined with the spouses of other members of the U.S. House of Representatives to spread the message of early detection of preventable cancers -- specifically skin cancers.

Today, skin cancer is the most common and fastest- growing form of cancer in the United States, affecting more than 1 million people each year. One person dies every hour from melanoma, the deadliest form of the disease. The American Cancer Society estimates that in Hawaii there will be 150 new cases of melanoma of the skin this year. And, the fact is, many of these cancers could be prevented.

Of course, we know now that we should protect our skin by using sunscreen -- SPF 15 or higher -- and wearing protective clothing. Don't forget your hat, lip protection and sunglasses! And, we need to protect our skin in all weather -- not just the summer.

Perhaps our greatest opportunity for changing skin cancer statistics rests with our children. Although most skin cancers are diagnosed when people are older than 50, the damage that causes skin cancer is done at an early age. Just one blistering sunburn can double a child's lifetime risk of developing skin cancer. If you are a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, caregiver or friend, make sure the kids in your life are protected.

Help your teenagers understand the dangers of tanning beds, which are at least as dangerous as the sun, and some studies suggest they are more damaging. There are safer alternatives -- such as sunless tanning products and bronzers -- if your teen insists on being tanned for prom night.

Encourage your children's schools, health teachers and school nurses to allow students to apply sunscreen before recess. Encourage sports programs and coaches to have kids apply sunscreen before practice and games.

Examine your skin and your loved ones' skin monthly. Look for:

» brown or black irregularly pigmented spots with uneven margins;

» a slow-growing, raised, translucent, pearly nodule that may crust, ulcerate or bleed;

» a change in sensation, itchiness, tenderness or pain from a mole; a small, smooth, shiny, pale or waxy lump on the skin; and any new mole.

And remember the ABCD rule: Asymmetry, Border irregularity, Color that is not uniform and Diameter greater than 6 millimeters -- about the size of a pencil eraser.

If you discover a suspicious growth while conducting your monthly self-examination, have it checked by your doctor. Because your risk of developing skin cancer increases as you age, annual clinical exams are even more important after you reach age 50.

So by all means enjoy the sun and outdoors, but have a healthy regard for the sun's strength and protect yourself and those you love. Sun safety should not be neglected by anyone. If we all take responsibility for ourselves and our children, we can change skin cancer from being the fastest-growing cancer to one that is rare in future generations.

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