skin cancer

Outrun the Sun to Support Skin Cancer Education and Research

May 4, 2012 at 1:43 pm
By Karla Walsh

Unless you’re an elite runner, you’ve likely been intimidated toeing the starting line at a race. This month, there is a stress-free opportunity to complete your race—while helping a good cause—no matter where you live!

From now until May 31, you can sign up to Outrun (or walk) the Sun and complete a race on the day and at the distance of your choosing. Your $12 entry fee will support skin cancer education and melanoma research, so don’t forget your sunscreen, sunglasses and hat! It’s the perfect time to practice and support sun safety, as May is National Skin Cancer and Melanoma Awareness Month. Scary stat: Melanoma kills one American every hour and more than two million cases of skin cancer are diagnosed each year.

Runners, walkers and athletes of all kinds are often at higher risk than the general population, due to their frequent outdoor pursuits. So participants will receive more than the pride that comes with finishing a race—they will also get a reminder about the importance of sun safety.

For more about Outrun the Sun, click here.

More from FITNESS:

• 3 Steps to Prevent Skin Cancer
• Test Your Sun Smarts
• What’s That Spot? A Photo Guide to Skin Cancer

---

Watch This Video Before Heading Out This Weekend

July 29, 2011 at 2:51 pm
By Marianne Magno

Our 16-year-old selves did a lot of things that would make our now-adult selves cringe. (Bad haircut? Inappropriate outfit? Check and check.) But on a more serious note, past behaviors like tanning and skipping the sunscreen could have serious consequences on your health today. Watch the touching and informative video below to see what other people would tell their 16-year-old selves about skin cancer and how it has changed their lives. We can’t turn back time, but perhaps this PSA, put together by the David Cornfield Melanoma Fund, would encourage more people to take care of their skin and help prevent future cases of melanoma.

More from FITNESS: Skin Cancer Prevention Facts

Tell us: What would you tell your 16-year-old self?

---

Show Off Your Hot Legs—Safely!

May 27, 2011 at 11:24 am
By Lisa Haney

We’re all breaking out our cute sundresses and shorts here in the FITNESS offices now that we’re finally getting a little warmth and sun in NYC. And I’ve been thinking of all those beautiful bare legs after I learned from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s SunWise program that it’s the body area where 20 to 25 percent of all melanomas occur in women.

While I’m religious about using daily SPF on my face, I usually don’t think about protecting my exposed limbs unless I’m off to the beach or spending most of the day outside. So in honor of SunWise’s Don’t Fry Day (cute!) today, I’m vowing to start using a daily SPF body lotion to protect my whole body.

The organization’s catchy  “Slip, Slop, Slap & Wrap” sun-savvy motto is now stuck in my head:

• Slip on a shirt.
• Slop on SPF 15+ sunscreen.
• Slap on a wide-brimmed hat
• Wrap on sunglasses

More from FITNESS: You can take a two-pronged approach and tackle cancer prevention from the inside out too. Check out what to eat to beat skin cancer.

---

Healthy Skin Secrets: Mom Doesn’t Always Know Best

May 12, 2011 at 11:48 am
By Lisa Haney

Sometimes moms are great health role models. Other times, not so much.

Young women who use tanning beds were four times as likely (42 percent) to say their moms use tanning beds compared to young women who don’t indoor tan, according to a new survey by the American Academy of Dermatology. The group reminds that indoor tanning increases your risk of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, by a whopping 75 percent!

When it comes to skin cancer, you definitely don’t want “like mother, like daughter” to be the case.

For more on this important topic, read up here:

• What’s That Spot? A Photo Guide to Skin Cancer
• 10 Smart Ways to Lower Your Skin Cancer Risk
• What to Eat to Beat Skin Cancer

Image via

Now tell us: What’s your smartest sun protection tip?

---