July Newsletter

Vol. 7| July 2024

July is UV Safety Awareness Month and we want to remind you: Don’t get burned! Sunburn happens quickly and hurts you in more ways than one:

• Sunburn accelerates skin aging and is a leading cause in the majority of cases of basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma skin cancers
• 33,000+ people each year visit the emergency room for sunburn-related medical treatment, according to the National Cancer Institute
• Having 5 or more sunburns doubles your risk of developing melanoma, a dangerous form of the disease.

Sunburn is bad news, but the good news is that it’s preventable. If you’re heading to the beach or just spending time in your backyard, make sure to protect your skin and know what to do if you do get burned. Above all, learn from your burn and ensure that it never happens to you again.

Ultraviolet (UV) Radiation & Your Skin

Sunburn & Your Skin: The Facts & Risks

Summer Vacation Slipups

5 Ways to Treat a Sunburn

Why Does My Skin Peel When I Get Sunburned, and What Should I Do About It?

You Missed a Spot! Lower Your Skin Cancer Risk by Protecting These Often-Missed Areas

Destination Healthy Skin, our mobile skin cancer screening and education program has reached the halfway point in its journey around the country. To date, our volunteer dermatologists have provided free skin cancer screenings for 1,264 participants and identified 539 suspected skin cancers and precancers, including 21 suspected melanomas.

And we’re not done yet! The second part of the journey begins in August and will continue into the fall.

Read the latest update.

Check our schedule

We’ve launched the Save Destination Healthy Skin campaign to raise funds for the purchase of a new RV to keep DHS on the road and saving lives.

Urgent Need: DHS cannot continue with a 14-year-old RV. Replacing the RV for our 2025 season will keep our free skin cancer screenings going strong for years to come.

You can help, with a donation of any amount.

Donation Match Challenge: From now until August 17 every dollar donated to Save Destination Healthy Skin – up to $25,000 – will be matched by our lead sponsor, Massage Envy. This gives your donation double the impact.

Every gift makes a difference in the fight against skin cancer.

During this donation match challenge, your gift makes twice the difference.

Sunscreen Safety

Our president, Deborah S. Sarnoff, MD, is here to set the record straight. Sunscreen does NOT cause skin cancer; sunscreen, as part of a complete sun protection strategy, helps to PREVENT skin cancer. Sunscreen is regulated by the FDA for the safety and efficacy of ingredients.

Sunscreen Safety

Misinformation about sunscreen safety has been circulating on social media for years. The most recent claim, that wearing sunscreen is harmful and may even cause skin cancer, is not only false but dangerous.

5 Sneaky Ways You’re Being Exposed to the Sun’s UV Rays

There are more than a few situations where UV radiation can sneak in and reach you, and it’s just as important to protect yourself against potential skin damage at these times as it is on sunny days.

Ask the Expert: What Makes Skin Cancer Grow?

What is it that makes my skin develop multiple skin cancers, while someone else never gets one?

#LoveYourSkin is a public awareness campaign focused on education, early detection and sun protection for skin of color. Skin cancer is often diagnosed later in people of color, when it is more challenging to treat.⁠ Together, we can change that.

• Share facts and graphics to help spread the word.
• Read and share our blog posts about skin cancer in people of color.
• Use the hashtag #LoveYourSkinProtectYourSkin.

Join our community of monthly donors and become a member of the Skin Protection Fund (SPF). Your recurring gift will steadily support the lifesaving programs of the Foundation and help us educate the public and the medical community about skin cancer, its prevention by means of sun protection, the need for early detection and prompt, effective treatment. Learn more and donate here.

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