Discovering a skin cancer early can make the difference between life and death. "The difference between life and death…” Wow. As frightening as that might be, never underestimate the power that comes with knowing the techniques for early detection. Remember, skin cancer is almost always curable — if it’s detected and removed early.

In Part 1, you learned important facts about skin cancer: the impact in the U.S., the three major types, and the risk factors — the ones you can modify and the ones you cannot modify. These facts give you a strong foundation for the subject of this article: protecting yourself and your children from skin cancer by reducing your exposure to ultraviolet radiation, which is the number one modifiable risk factor. Let’s get started.

“Now that I’ve had a skin cancer, it’s hard to believe I was so unaware of the danger for so many years. I was happy to be tan and liked the way I looked.” — Judy Fraser: How Skin Cancer Changed My Life