Free Skin Cancer Screenings Offered to Outdoor Enthusiasts July 1

CAPE MAY — Whether you’re basking on one of Cape May County’s beautiful beaches this summer, working in the garden, or simply going for a walk or running errands, taking a few sun smart precautions could save your life.
Taking additional steps to promote sun safety and the early detection of skin cancer, Choose Your Cover, a free statewide skin cancer screening, awareness and educational initiative, will once again take to the beaches this summer with their message of prevention.
Choose Your Cover 2017 and the Cape Atlantic Coalition for Health will be offering free skin cancer screenings in Cape May City:
* Sat., July 1 at Convention Hall, Beach Avenue & Stockton Place in the City of Cape May from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Dr. Lawrence Paolini, Board Certified Dermatologist and members of his staff will be available to the public, on a first come first serve basis… offering free skin cancer screenings. Pre-registration for the event is not required.
Skin cancer is currently the most common form of cancer in the United States with more than 3.5 million cases diagnosed each year, according to the American Cancer Society. County Freeholder Jeffrey Pierson advises that while the incidence of many common cancers is falling, the incidence of melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer, continues to rise.
While your family history and heredity, such as fair skin and light colored eyes, play a role in determining your risk for developing skin cancer, one of the major risk factors for melanoma, and other forms of skin cancer, is overexposure to the sun’s ultraviolet rays.
“Overexposure to sunlight is one of the most preventable risk factors for all types of skin cancer,” says Kevin Thomas, Director of the Cape May County Health Department “Which is why it is so important to take sun smart precautions and reduce your risk accordingly.
Freeholder Pierson recommended wearing protective clothing like a wide-brimmed hat, avoiding the sun during the middle of the day, when rays are strongest, using sunscreen and avoiding indoor tanning can go a long way toward reducing your risk for skin cancer.
In addition to the skin cancer screenings by volunteer healthcare professionals, participants receive vital information about sun smart precautions to protect their skin.
For more information about how you can participate in the New Jersey’s Choose Your Cover 2017 screening contact Dick Colosi, Health Educator, Department of Health, at 609-463-6521, or via email at rcolosi@co.cape-may.nj.us.