According to the US FDA, an increasing number of Americans continues to contract skin cancer. The problem is becoming so pervasive that some doctors consider skin cancer to be un-declared epidemic. The FDA and the American Academy of Dermatology anticipate that approximately one million Americans will develop skin cancer each year. According to the FDA, when detected in its early stages, skin cancer can be quite treatable. An efficient way to reduce the risk of contracting skin cancer is to avoid exposure to the sun.
Some experts also recommend that sun lamp exposure be minimized or avoided as well.
It is the sun's ultraviolet radiation that closes short-term damage, in the form of sun tans and sun burns, and long term damage, in the form of sun cancer. Some experts believe that the depletion of the sun's protective ozone layer has permitted more of these dangerous ultra violet rays to expose individuals. In turn, some maintain that this has increased the amount of skin cancer cases. According to the FDA, there is no such thing as a safe tan. For children, the sun's effects can be even more pronounced.