As April comes to a close, it is time to say goodbye to the cold weather, and welcome the warmer spring weather of May. It is time to trade in your toque for a wide-brimmed sun hat! The start of May is when we as Canadians get to start enjoying the true spring weather we all know and love. Despite this, it is important to remember that May’s beautiful weather brings with it the start of the highest UV index period of the year. Fittingly, May 2nd, the first Monday of May 2016, kicks off Melanoma Awareness month, with a day dedicated internationally to skin cancer awareness. We at FUSE Health are taking this opportunity to highlight our issue-driven culture and show our support for the Melanoma Network of Canada (MNC) and the Save Your Skin Foundation (SYSF), to “Change the Conversation Together and Shed Some Light on Melanoma because it’s #NotJustSkinCancer”.
#NotJustSkinCancer
Collaboration is a key driving force for the work we do at FUSE Health, and the recent collaboration between MNC and SYSF truly exemplifies this. These associations came together to develop the forward-thinking and inspirational #NotJustSkinCare campaign to help educate the general public on what a skin cancer diagnosis truly means. The video launched at the end of March highlighted the astonishing reality that many Canadians don’t take skin cancer seriously. As it is emphasized in the video above, skin cancer isn’t always just a mole that can be easily removed. With the advances in cancer research, if caught early, many forms of skin cancer are curable, but there are also serious and fatal types of skin cancer such as melanoma. In 2015, an estimated 1,150 Canadians died from melanoma, and an estimated 6,800 were diagnosed. Unlike most other cancers, the incidence of melanoma is on the rise, with more than triple the number of cases in the last 30 years.
Be UV Aware and Know the Risks
It is true that having a family history of melanoma and other risk factors increase your chance of getting melanoma. These risk factors include: blistering sunburns before the age of 20, fair or freckled skin, red or blonde hair, and over 50 moles on your body. Nevertheless, did you know that the leading cause of melanoma is ultraviolet (UV) radiation overexposure? This can come from the sun, or by artificial means (tanning beds and sunlamps). The upside to UV radiation being the primary cause of skin cancer is that it makes proactive skin cancer prevention possible. A key take away is that although the UV index is measured from 0 to 11+ (EXTREME), a rating as low as 3 is considered damaging to your skin and warrants protection with sunscreen, a hat, and/or staying in the shade during the high UV period (11:00AM – 4:00PM). Always keep the UV index in mind so you can enjoy the warm weather while protecting your skin.
Join Us
We at FUSE Health ask you to join us in showing our support for all those affected by melanoma by sporting black ribbons on Melanoma Monday and contributing to the conversation throughout Melanoma Awareness Month. As mentioned in the video, social media is flooded with images and posts about an indifference to sunburns and the joys of getting that summer glow such as:
“Actually got more burnt than I thought #SkinCancerHereICome”
or
“Tan>Pale #SkinCancerDontCare”
We encourage everyone to support the #NotJustSkinCancer campaign and take a stand against the negative images on social media by posting photos of you enjoying the sun responsibly.
“There is no such thing as a safe or healthy tan – tanned skin is damaged skin!” – MNC
Maggie Chasmar
Project Coordinator, Medical Communications