Get Ready: Skin Cancer Awareness Month is Nearly Here

It’s nearly our favorite time of year: Skin Cancer Awareness Month. The annual recognition happens each May, just before the Memorial Day weekend and the letting out of schools across the country. It’s a time of year when the sun’s UV rays are getting more intense, and so too should our sun safety efforts.

Skin Cancer Awareness Month, also called Skin Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Month, is May 1-31 and includes a few additional dates to note.

The first Monday in May, this year May 2, is Melanoma Monday. It’s a chance to educate people about melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.

The Friday before Memorial Day weekend, this year May 27, is generally recognized as Don’t Fry Day (get it?) and is a reminder to protect your skin over the long holiday weekend—sometimes the first big fun in the sun outing for people each year. Starting the summer with a sunburn is no fun, and it amps up one’s risk for skin cancer.

We want everyone to be able to share the message of sun safety with their friends, family and loved ones. To do so, we’ve pulled together a toolkit of sorts with some great facts about skin cancer, links to helpful resources, and a whole bunch of graphics in English and Spanish to share online and in newsletters.

For example, did you know that men in Nevada are nearly twice as likely to be diagnosed with melanoma than women? Or that more people are diagnosed with skin cancer each year than all other cancers combined? How about that hippos secrete their own oily pink sunscreen?

Access our toolkit and all of the graphics here. And be sure to tag Nevada Cancer Coalition or use hashtags #BeSunSmart and #SunSmartNevada in your posts.