As temperatures slowly begin to rise and residents get ready to spend more time outdoors, the American Cancer Society asks families across the country to be sun safe in the coming months.

This year, more than one million cases of basal cell or squamous cell cancers will occur in the U.S. Of those, more than 59,940 will be diagnosed with melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer, and more than 10,850 will die from melanoma and other non-epithelial skin cancers combined. In Indiana, more than 1,220 residents are expected to be diagnosed with melanoma.

"The best way to lower the risk of melanoma is to avoid too much exposure to the sun and other sources of UV light," said Dru Szczerba, director of prevention and healthcare for the American Cancer Society, Great Lakes Division. "By taking preventative measures against skin cancer such as avoiding sun exposure in the middle of the day when UV light is most intense; covering skin with protective clothing; wearing sunglasses; and using sunscreen and lip balm with an SPF factor of 15 or more, residents can protect themselves against this deadly form of skin cancer."

The American Cancer Society recommends the following skin cancer prevention methods:

•Follow the Slip! Slop! Slap! guidelines for covering up while outdoors. Slip! on a shirt, Slop! on a sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher, and Slap! on a hat. Also wrap on sunglasses to protect your eyes from harmful UV rays.

•Limit or avoid exposure to the sun during the midday hours 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. when UV rays are the strongest.

•Use a sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or higher. Children in particular should be protected from the sun because servere sunburns in childhood may greatly increase risk of melanoma in later life.

•Do not use sunscreen on babies under six months old, but do cover them with protective clothing and avoid direct sun exposure. An infant's sensitive skin can burn in minutes.

•Avoid tanning beds and sun lamps, which provide an additional source of UV radiation.

Although risk factors vary for different types of skin cancer, major risk factors for all types of skin cancer include sun sensitivity (sunburning easily; difficulty tanning; natural blonde or red hair color); a history of excessive sun exposure, including sunburns; use of tanning booths; diseases that suppress the immune system; a past history of basal cell or squamous cell skin cancers; and occupational exposure to coal tar, pitch, creosote, arsenic compounds or radium.

If detected in its earliest stages and treated properly, melanoma is highly curable. The best way to detect skin cancer early is to recognize changes in skin growths or the appearance of new growths, which may include: any changes on the skin, especially in the size of a mole or other darkly pigmented growth or spot; scaliness, oozing, bleeding or changes in the appearance of a bump or nodule; the spread of pigmentation beyond its border; or a change in sensation, itchiness, tenderness or pain. Adults should examine their skin reguarly and report and suspicious lesions or progressive change in a lesion's appearance or size to a physician. For more information on skin cancer detection or prevention, contact the American Cancer Society at 1-800-ACS-2345 or visit www.cancer.org.