The number of diagnosed cases of melanoma is continuing to rise each year despite warnings about too much sun exposure and the need to use sunscreen. From 2001 to 2010, the number of new cases increased by 3 per cent a year among women and by 2.3 per cent annually for men.
An Associate Professor at McGill University in the Department of Oncology, Dr. Annett Korner says sunscreen can also give people a false sense of security because those people who use it tend to spend more time exposed to the sun’s rays than they should. She advises people to apply it each day of the year and adds sunscreen also helps your skin from aging.
In Canada, almost twice as many men die from melanoma than women. 50% of melanoma cases are diagnosed in people between the ages of 35 to 65 and is the most common cancer among people in their mid to late twenties.
