Summer and sunshine will soon be here and a St. Joseph dermatologist urges everyone to take precautions to avoid getting too much sun. 

Dr. Melody Stone is a dermatologist with Advanced Dermatology and Skin Cancer Center in St. Joseph. 

According to Stone, skin cancer is the most common cancer.

“Most people think about breast cancer, prostate cancer, colon,” Stone said. “If you took all those cases in the year here in the U.S. and added them up, none of them would equal the number of new cases of skin cancer we’re going to have in the U.S. this year.” 

Stone said that number will be between 2.5 and 3 million cases of new skin cancer diagnosed.  Stone said the three main types of skin cancer are Basal Cell Carcinoma, Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Melanoma. 

Stone said science and research have come a long way in finding out how sun damages the skin. 

“Sun is really radiation, it’s UV A, B and C radiation that comes through the clouds, strikes the skin and damages the skin cells. It damages the skin’s DNA and its ability to repair and do other repair type processes,” Stone said. “After so many hits by the sun from the radiation to the DNA, the DNA and the skin cells can no longer repair themselves, then that’s when you get skin cancer, which is uncontrolled cell growth.” 

Stone said some tips for helping protect skin from the sun include applying sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or or more before going outside and reapplying throughout the day, doing any outdoor work before 10 a.m. and after 3 p.m. and wearing lightweight clothing such as “sunscreen shirts.” 

Stone said approximately 95% of skin cancer cases are caused by sun exposure, and can therefore be prevented. The other five percent is due to genetics or other non-sun related causes. 

Advanced Dermatology and Skin Cancer Center in St. Joseph will be hosting their annual free skin cancer screening from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, June 3rd, at their location at 1419 Village Drive St. No appointment is necessary. 

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