ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A concerning, but probably not surprising trend is happening in Florida.
Skin cancer cases are on the rise. In Florida specifically, the analysts at QuoteWizard found a 10% increase in skin cancer cases over the last four years. This finding goes against the overall trend of Northern states having the highest rates.
The theory is that people who live in warmer, sunnier states do a better job of protecting themselves. So it's hard to say why Floridians aren't following that trend. A couple of other interesting findings for the Sunshine State.
While skin cancer cases are up, death rates are down. That's because people are likely getting diagnosed and treated earlier. Also, men are getting skin cancer at twice the rate of women. QuoteWizard senior analyst Nick VinZant has a possible explanation for that.
"The reason for that is both societal and occupational. Men are generally not the first when it comes to putting on sunscreen and taking precautions out in the sun. And they tend to have occupations where they work outside more."
The big message here is that skin cancer is preventable. The best thing you can do is have a strategy of protection: try to avoid being outside during the peak hours of sunlight, wear protective clothing and apply sunscreen to any exposed skin.
Also keep in mind that every sunburn you get damages your skin, even the ones you got when you were a child. So parents and grandparents need to make sure they are using that same strategy to protect kids from the sun.
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