KATV Channel 7 - The Spirit of Arkansas: Athletes and Skin Cancer

As the weather gets warmer more and more kids are hitting the practice fields for soccer, track and baseball.  As they do, coaches and parents need to make sure they're applying sunscreen.  There are more than one-million, non-melanoma cases of skin cancer diagnosed each year and doctors say most of those are caused by the sun.  Most kids say they often think about sunscreen once it is too late.  They think about it when they start to feel it.  A study by a University of Cincinnati dermatologist shows that only 15-percent of student athletes regularly use sunscreen.  Those doctors say the job of protecting kids starts early.  That's when parents need to make sure the kids start getting into the habit of protecting their skin.  It needs to be something the kids start to think about on their own.  For older kids, who have never gotten into the habit, coaches and trainers can help by having the sunscreen on hand.  The American Cancer Society predicts there will be nearly 60-thousand cases of melanoma diagnosed this year.  They say one in every six of those cases will be fatal.