Melanoma Monday is for skin safety

Advertiser Staff

May has been named Skin Cancer Awareness month by the American Academy of Dermatology, and Monday has been designated Melanoma Monday in an effort to raise awareness of the most deadly form of skin cancer, malignant melanoma.

The Hawaii Dermatologic Society, American Cancer Society, and Hawaii Skin Cancer Coalition will be joining forces to promote greater awareness of skin cancer.

Free skin-cancer screenings will be staffed by dermatologists from 10 a.m. to noon on May 26 at the following Longs Drug stores: Pali, Manoa, Mo'ili'ili, Mililani Town Center, Pearl Ridge and Kailua.

No appointments are needed.

Doctors recommend that all people avoid sun exposure between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., and use an SPF 30 sunscreen with UVA and UVB blockers every day. Most people applying sunscreen use only one-quarter to one-third of the amount recommended, dermatologists say.

A dark tan does not reduce risk; a tan has an sun protection factor (SPF) value of only 2 to 4.

Correction: An incorrect date for the free skin-cancer screening was listed in a previous version of this story.