Skin Cancer Prevention and Early Detection

Skin cancer is the most common of all cancer types. More than 3.5 million skin cancers are diagnosed each year in the United States. That's more than all other cancers combined. The number of skin cancer cases has been going up over the past few decades.

The good news is that you can do a lot to protect yourself and your family from skin cancer, or to catch it early enough so that it can be treated effectively. Most skin cancers are caused by too much exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays. Most of this exposure comes from the sun, but some may come from man-made sources, such as indoor tanning beds.