By Anna C. Christensen, UA Cancer Center
Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the world, and is caused mainly by exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet rays. In Arizona, skin cancer awareness programs ramp up with the escalating temperatures from spring to summer. By the time the mid-summer monsoons hit, these messages start to fall off our radar. When the weather once again is hospitable as fall rolls around, many of us are back to enjoying the outdoors without adequate sun protection. Reducing our risk of skin cancer, however, is a year-round activity.