Did you know that skin cancer accounts for more than 50% of all cancers combined? Or that one person dies every HOUR from skin cancer? These are just 2 of the 8 Shocking Facts About Skin Cancer from About.com.

According to information on The Skin Cancer Foundation website, a “recent poll by the research company GfK Roper showed that 58 percent of people are concerned today about skin cancer. Yet only 11 percent of people use an SPF 15 or higher daily.” Scary, isn’t it? This is a huge issue – especially with our obsession of looking tan. Tanning bed usage has sky rocketed – and thankfully now the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) General and Plastic Surgery Devices Panel has started to really take note. In March they met and agreed that tanning beds need to be more regulated. They are even considering banning the use of tanning beds by minors. And why shouldn’t they? Tanning beds in my mind are equivalent to cigarettes. It’s not a matter of IF they are doing damage, it’s a matter of WHEN the person will experience the damaging effects. As the FDA has stated – no tan is a safe tan.

How is it that we can learn that something is dangerous (sun damage), find solutions (sunscreen and sun avoidance), and then simultaneously develop this enormous tanning industry? What makes anyone thing those beds are a good idea? Sure, your skin may look tan – but there are safer ways to do that if you insist on a tanned look. Self tanners have improved tremendously so you can actually get a good, natural (and SAFE) tanned look easily and less expensively than at a tanning salon. Not to mention the fact that tanning has been proven to age skin. Have you taken a look at people who were sun-worshipers years ago? They are the ones that look 10 years older than they are.

So in this Skin Cancer Awareness Month, take a minute to remind yourself of the importance of sun avoidance and the use of sunscreen. I know – no one likes to glob the stuff on, but a few minutes of messiness is worth your skin’s health. And check out the Skin Cancer Foundation’s  Prevention Guide for more tips.

On a related note, I want to add that I hear from many customers who would like to see Garden Girl products include sunscreen. And I am in total agreement, believe me. No one wants our products to have an SPF rating more than I do! However, while the FDA regulations are fantastic for the health of your skin and for consumer safety, they make it nearly impossible for a company of our size to enter into the sunscreen market. So until we have our own products, we continue to recommend that you use a sunscreen every time you are out and about – whether it be at a soccer game or at the beach or out for a run. Garden Girl face creams can easily be layered with your favorite sunscreen so you benefit from the anti-aging properties of the face cream and the sun protection from the sunscreen. And if you choose your sunscreen carefully, it will not cause breakouts or clog pores.