With summer just around the corner, the BC Cancer Agency is reminding you not to get too much sun.
Many people take Vitamin D also known as the Sunshine Vitamin in the winter months to compensate for the lack of sunlight.
Thanks to the longer days and nicer weather more and more people are tanning outside or at the beach.
Dermatologist Dr. Harvey Lui says there is a major misconception amongst the public that tanning is harmless.
“If you get a tan that means you’re skin is getting damaged and harmed. There is a no such things as a healthy tan, much like there is no such thing as a healthy cigarette.”
Too much time in the sun could also cause damage to your personal appearance..
“If you look at your face you might see some wrinkles then look at your bum in the mirror, you won’t see nearly as many wrinkles on it. Your buttox is the same age as your face but the only difference is how much sun exposure they got,” says Lui.
In Canada, UV radiation is responsible for 90% of melanoma cases over the past 25 years. “The rays are very powerful and can often reach your skin and actually damage the D-N-A. It then sets up the reactions that eventually lead to skin cancer down the road,” says Lui.
Lui believes it will take time for people to change their behaviour on the issue .
He says people know about the risks but need to take further steps to minimize the damage.
Skin cancer is the most common of all cancers that occurs in humans.