New online: An interactive way to fight skin cancer

With temperatures on the rise, it’s almost time to break out the summer wardrobe. But before you start lounging next to the pool in a bathing suit, spend some time on the ‘net’or more accurately, on MySkinCheck.ca.

Developed by La Roche-Posay, MySkinCheck.ca is an online tool that seeks to educate the public about skin cancer, as well as sun safety. Along with an instructional video on how to do self-checks on your moles, the interactive site offers a test to calculate your risk for developing cancer, dermatological methods that you can use at home to check your moles, and a section on "good sun habits."

The Canadian Skin Cancer Foundation estimated that more than 75,000 Canadians would be diagnosed with skin cancer in 2009. According to the Canadian Dermatology Association, malignant melanoma is a less common form of skin cancer, but also very dangerous. However, when found at an early stage, melanoma has a greater than 90 percent cure rate’one of the highest of all cancers.

As someone who is in the process of having a number of "neat-looking" moles removed, I think that this site could prove to be a helpful tool for Canadians who want to protect their skin. Believe me, when it comes to skin cancer, it’s much better to be safe than sorry. If you have any moles that look suspicious, be sure to consult your doctor or dermatologist.

What do you do to keep your skin safe from harsh UV rays in the summer? Would you use a site like this?

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