It's the most common cancer in the United States and more than a million Americans will be diagnosed with it this year - skin cancer.
And if you aren't checking your skin regularly, you could be putting yourself at greater risk, especially since such a large percentage of West Michigan's population is fair-skinned. That group of people have the highest risk for skin cancer.
Chances are if you've had one or two really bad sunburns by the age of 20, you've already done permanent damage to your skin, enough to possibly cause skin cancer.
Dr. Nina Johnson with the Johnson Family Cancer Center in Muskegon says that the statistics show that the instances of skin cancer have gone up.
Dr. Johnson says one of the main reasons researchers point to for the increase is the reduction of the earth's ozone layer and the fact that the level of ultraviolet light is higher today than is was 50 years ago. That's why using sunscreen frequently is so important.
But for those of us who may have skipped a few applications here and there, 82-year-old Donald Lynn is a perfect example of why you want to cover up. He's had two surgeries on his ear, plus other lesions have been taken off as well.
He spent his entire life in Muskegon along the lakeshore enjoying West Michigan summers' without using sunscreen.
Four months ago, he had to have a quarter-sized skin cancer lesion removed from the side of his head.
Dr. Johnson says that's the concern with certain types of skin cancers. "They can burrow deeply into creases," she says, "And depending on the location, if you have to have surgery, then they'll need to take quite a bit of normal tissue."
But the cancer had gone so deep, Lynn needed radiation treatment as well, to save his bone muscle and nerves.
"The radiation will not leave a scar," says the doctor. "It kind of melts the tumor away. It heats up and the skin heals up." Donald Lynn was lucky his skin cancer was squamas cell which has a 95% cure rate.
To make sure you're just as lucky, Dr. Johnson says you need to check yourself at least once a year. She says to look for "dark pigmented irregular border-shaped lesions that are changing."
Be sure to check your entire body from head to toe. Your legs are the number one spot where melanoma strikes.
And make sure you are applying a sunscreen of 15 SPF or higher not just at the beach but whenever there's a chance you might be outside, whether it's for lunch or a walk in the park.
It's the best way to Beat the Odds of getting skin cancer.
Val Lego