We have all heard about the dangers of too much sun, sunburns, and tanning beds that put us all at higher risk for skin cancer, especially the most dreaded of skin cancers —melanoma. Taking a different tack, I will use this space to enlighten readers of many new ideas from thought leaders on skin cancer that most of us were just not aware of. Keep reading for some very surprising information and pay attention to the number of times you tell yourself, “I didn’t know that!”

Let’s face it, everyone wants to look good. We spend a lot of time and money buying clothes, make-up, skin products, hair care and restoration products, and razor blades, just to keep looking attractive. For those who worship the sun, yet do not have the leisure to sun bathe, the tanning booth is their route to the cherished golden tan. One not very well known, but painful fact is that those who use a tanning bed before the age of 35 increase their risk of melanoma by 75 percent. Ultraviolet radiation such as the radiation given off by the sun, and the radiation one exposes themselves to in a tanning bed is the key factor that causes skin cells to mutate and multiply, thus leading to the various types of skin cancer. Why do you think we give radiation to those with cancer? It is because it damages cells. If you need to look good in a bikini at the beach it is safer to get your tan in a bottle, and if you have to, get a slow tan while using the appropriate rated sunscreen. Besides, it is the ultraviolet light that also causes that wrinkled, brown, leather-like skin we see in lifelong sunbathers.

More news that we will not commonly see advertised is information that was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association–Dermatology. It also concerns the use of indoor tanning beds and is equally shocking. Just to set the mark, the number of new lung cancer cases a year is just over 325,000 in the United States alone. Here it comes: The number of skin cancer cases due to tanning is higher than the number of lung cancer cases due to smoking.

In the U.S. alone, 419,254 cases of skin cancer are due to indoor tanning, of which 6,199 are of the life-threatening melanoma type.

For the golfers out there, here is some news to think about while driving, wedging and putting. Sixty-five percent of melanoma cases are associated with UV radiation from the sun. Men over 40 have the highest annual exposure to UV light. White men over 50 have the highest incidence of melanoma than any other group. And lastly, melanoma is one of only three cancers with an increasing mortality rate for men. This is not to discourage anyone from getting out there and playing golf, but like everything else in life, it should be done mindfully. Keep reading to find out how.

The following prevention guidelines apply to everyone, not only golfers.

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Seek the shade, especially between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Do not burn.

Cover up with clothing: broad-brimmed hat, long sleeves and shirts with built in SPF.

Use a broad-spectrum (UVA/UVB) sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher.

Apply two tablespoons of sunscreen 30 minutes before going outside and reapply every two hours. If swimming, reapply right after coming out of the water.

Examine your skin every month. Remember to check between the toes also.

Have your physician examine your skin yearly.

This all sounds like a great deal of trouble to go through just to save your skin. But look at it this way: whatever you can do to prevent cancer in the first place will keep you out of the surgeon’s, dermatologist’s and oncologist’s offices. Just think how much trouble it would be possibly fighting for your life if and when a potentially preventable cancer did occur. I agree, it can be a hassle to follow all of these rules, but like everything else in life, the more we do it, the easier it gets.

We are all creatures of habit. Let’s pick up some good habits from these recommendations.

For further useful information, I refer you to the Skin Cancer Foundation website at skincancer.org.

Dr. John Inzerillo, MD, is a hematologist/oncologist with the Marion L. Shepard Cancer Center of Vidant Beaufort Hospital.