Sun safety, screenings highlight Living in Harmony with the Sun
Local dermatologists conducted 76 free skin cancer screenings as part of the 8th annual Living in Harmony with the Sun event at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, co-sponsored by the University of Arizona Cancer Center's Skin Cancer Institute.
The goal of Living in Harmony is to help educate residents and visitors about the dangers of sun exposure, and teach everyone how to enjoy Arizona’s approximately 350 days of sunshine each year without accumulating skin damage, says Denise Spartonos, SCI's community outreach coordinator.
Skin cancers are among the most common cancers in the U.S., with one out of five Americans being diagnosed and an estimated 3.5 million new cases are diagnosed each year. Skin cancers are usually very preventable, and if detected early, highly treatable.
“I was delighted to see so many people come out to be screened and was particularly happy to see families come in together for screenings. Screenings like these save lives and help raise awareness of skin cancer in our community,” Spartonos said.
In addition to activities dedicated to prevention and detection for adults, children who attended the event had the opportunity to make bracelets with UV sensitive beads, play “the sun fun” facts game and take pictures in the photo booth with sun safe gear and fun props.
One of the Skin Cancer Institute’s core messages taught to those who attended the event was the ACE (Avoid, Cover-Up, Examine) approach to maintaining healthy skin.
To educate event attendees with sun safety tips, the Skin Cancer Institute featured a Protect Your Skin sunscreen kit display beside the free skin cancer screenings station. Protect Your Skin kits are the perfect way to protect one's skin from the sun at school, work or play, and can be placed in areas where employees, customers, and visitors will have easy access to sunscreen. These sunscreen safety kits are available for purchase exclusively through the Skin Cancer Institute or online.
Learn more about upcoming events the Skin Cancer Institute has planned for this year.
- June 17, 2013