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Top Ten 2009 Skin Cancer Initiatives


WEBWIRE

Minneapolis, Dec. 23--New fabrics, laws, jingles, technologies and campaigns are among the ten top 2009 initiatives that raise public awareness about skin cancer and significantly improve its prevention and detection, according to SunAWARE, a not-for-profit Minneapolis-based sun protection advocacy group.
“Every year, more than a million new cases of skin cancer are diagnosed in this country. Every 61 minutes someone dies of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer,” said Mary Barrow, executive director of SunAWARE. “Our criteria in highlighting these initiatives were simple: Does it raise public awareness about the dangers of UVR exposure and does it contribute in a real way to preventing and detecting skin cancers.”
Barrow also noted that at least one top ten initiative is from overseas. “Imitation truly is the sincerest form of flattery,” she said. “Our hope is that U.S. public health officials might consider adopting these initiatives to increase our safety in this country.”
Here are the top ten skin cancer awareness initiatives.
1. TANNING BED BAN—Members of the Howard County (Maryland) Board of Health banned the use of tanning beds by anyone under 18. It is the first law in the nation that prohibits minors from using tanning beds. Peter Beilenson, the Howard County Health Officer says, “People under the age of 35 who are exposed to indoor tanning have a 75% increased risk of skin cancer and the younger you are exposed to indoor tanning the greater your risk of potentially fatal melanoma.”
2. THE ROAD TO HEALTHY SKIN TOUR – During 2009, the Skin Cancer Foundation organized dermatologists from around the country to provide free skin cancer screenings. The Road to Healthy Skin Tour traveled from Massachusetts to California and Washington to Florida. Dermatologists participating in the 2009 identified 1201 skin cancers, including 77 suspected melanomas. For information on the next Road to Healthy Skin Tour, go to the Skin Cancer Foundation www.skincancer.org
3. AAD FREE SKIN CANCER SCREENINGS – The American Academy of Dermatology celebrated its 25th year of offering free skin cancer screenings with several new initiatives in 2009: offering an ecard to notify others about the screenings; an alert to notify you when a screening is being held within 50 miles of your community; and a new video describing what to expect in a skin cancer exam. Since 1985 member dermatologists have conducted 1.9 million free skin cancer screenings and detected 188,000 suspicious lesions, including more than 21,500 suspected melanomas. To receive an alert, view the video or send an ecard, go to http://www.aad.org/public/exams/screenings.
4. SUN SOUNDS – Beach music might not appear to have much to do with preventing skin cancer. However, Australians, who have waged an aggressive war on skin cancer in their country, recently introduced “Sun Sounds.” Loud speakers, commonly used on Australian beaches to warn of sharks, now play five second jiggles throughout the day to warn bathers to cover up. Twenty different sun sounds jingles were produced for the initiative.
5. NEW ZnO SUN PROTECTION FABRIC - For years, the emphasis on sun protection has been sunscreen. Now, health professionals stress that sun protection clothing is the first line of defense against dangerous UVR rays. They recommend wearing sun protection clothing as well as applying full-spectrum sunscreen to exposed areas. Manufacturers are meeting the challenge. Coolibar, Inc., a Minneapolis-based sun protection clothing manufacturer, introduced a new fabric this year, its ZnO SUNTECT® fabric which incorporates the well-known sun protection properties of zinc oxide into light weight and breathable fabrics. The company justifiably calls it a “milestone in sun protection.” Incidentally, this same company was just awarded a Gold Triangle from the American Academy of Dermatology for its School Hat Program for students and teachers.
6. DON’T FRY DAY – The National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention designated the Friday before Memorial Day as “Don’t Fry Day,” encouraging everyone to practice sun safety habits at the traditional start of the summer. The National Council is a consortium of 45 organizations. Their members heavily promoted Don’t Fry Day on websites, press releases and other materials. As a result the story appeared in dozens of newspapers and on television and radio.
7. NMA BI-MONTHLY RESEARCH CALLS – The National Melanoma Alliance renewed its sponsorship of a bi-monthly research and advocacy teleconference call open to anyone with an interest in melanoma research. The hour long teleconferences, begun in 2008, feature melanoma researchers from major institutions across the nation. Anyone is eligible to sign-up for the teleconference by filling out the form on the Alliance’s website www.nationalmelanomaalliance.org. In addition, the Alliance posts audios of previous calls, which are available for downloading.
8. NEW DIAGNOSTIC TECHNOLOGY – A new company, Molesafe, pioneered an innovative new diagnostic technology that significantly reduces the time for patients to get feedback from dermatologists about suspicious skin lesions. Molesafe software is used to create a thorough patient profile. In addition, it uses three types of extremely high resolution digital imaging which are then provided to a panel of dermatologists for review. Two reports are prepared, one for the patient and one for a designated physician. The technology is important because the average current wait time to see a dermatologist ranges from just over one month to four months in various areas of the U.S. and successful outcomes with of skin cancer rely upon prompt diagnosis and treatment. Molesafe will return a report to the patient within 10 days, often sooner, and someone from the company will call if the technology detects anything suspicious.
9. THE INTERNATIONAL AGENCY FOR RESEARCH ON CANCER – Part of the World Health Organization, in June the agency concluded that individuals increase their risk of melanoma by 75 percent by using tanning beds and sunlamps before the age of 30. These findings prompted the agency to reclassify all radiation, including UVA, UVB and UVC as carcinogenic to humans. (Previously it had been thought that only UVB radiation caused cancer.) The finding sparked a world-wide debate on tanning bed usage, especially for minors, and has led to the consideration and adoption of new laws restricting their usage.
10. TEEN & PRE-TEEN EDUCATION – Maryellen Maguire-Eisen, RN, MSN, executive director of the Children’s Melanoma Prevention Foundation, (Hingham, MA) was awarded a Gold Triangle from the American Academy of Dermatology for her books, “Pretty Prom: Your Skin is Pretty Too” and “Lake Vacation.” These books, aimed at educating teens and pre-teens about the dangers of unprotected sun exposure are especially relevant now in light of new research findings that show tanning beds are popular with significant numbers of teens and pre-teens.

For complete sun protection advice and educational resources, visit SunAWARE at www.sunaware.org/blog.



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 sun protection
 skin cancer
 tanning beds
 skin cancer prevention
 sun protective clothing


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