While I was growing up I spent most of my time on the beach. After all, it was right up the block so it didn't cost much more than the ice cream cone my parents bought me each afternoon, and it was a good way to spend some time together as a family. Every weekend during the months of June, July, August, and September was spent in the sun.

The first part of the summers were the worst. Those were the days that I would suffer with sunburn. I would burn on the weekends and my skin would try to heal itself during the week. This would go on for a month until my skin became dark enough so that I wouldn't burn anymore. I remember the pain, and the blisters, and even the smell of the sunburn creams that were spread on my back that were supposed to alleviate the burning. Those creams never worked. Now, don't blame my parents for exposing me to the rays of the sun. Back in those days no one knew that the sun damaged the skin as much as it does.

I have a friend who loves the sun. To her, a day well spent is one snoozing on a beach towel and soaking up the rays. I ask her if she has ever heard of skin damage, or premature aging of the skin, or skin cancer. She says that she has olive colored skin and tans deeply, so she doesn't worry about it. I tell her to get some information1x

Back in the old days, when everyone worked in the sun, the idea of getting a tan was looked upon with horror by the rich. A tan meant that you labored for your living. Being pale was a status symbol that proved you were not of the laboring class.

When everyone started to work indoors, getting tanned was a difficult thing to accomplish, especially when you didn't see the sun all day. Then a tan started to mean that you had the free time to go out and enjoy the rays. It became a status symbol to be sun drenched.

My father loved the sun, he loved the heat, he loved the beach. He would be the one sitting on the beach year round. The first warm day would mean that his shirt came off and he would absorb the sun for hours.

My blond haired, blue eyed father developed a melanoma when he was in his sixties. A cousin in California has had a few basil call skin cancers removed too. I know a few things about skin cancer, it runs in my family.

The cancer my father had was malignant. Some people don't realize that skin cancer is not always simply removed and forgotten. My father was in the first stages of cancer. When he found out that he had it, he declared it a death sentence.

Skin cancer can be avoided. Limit your time in the sun, use a sun screen all year round, watch for any new skin growths, and visit a skin doctor if something new does develop. That's what I did when I found a brand new dark spot sitting on my face. It turned out to be a simple mole. I was lucky.