It's not "cool" if you get cancer.

Just when you think fashion magazines are completely superficial - the May issue of Glamour has 10+ pages dealing with "the summer cancer," right in-between ads for makeup, lotion and hair products and mingled with features about the latest swimsuits.

But, let's not be trivial. According to The American Cancer Society, "Skin cancer is the most common of all cancers. It accounts for nearly half of all cancers in the United States." And, as if that's not the worst news, almost 11,000 people died from skin cancer in 2006 alone.

Now, I've always thought, okay there's the statistics, but what do they mean? You know, we all tend to get the "it won't happen to me" mentality. But think about the numbers compared to something you know. Take my hometown, for instance. There are about 22,000 people in Derby, KS. All I have to do is think about what would happen if half of the people in my hometown died in a year from skin cancer alone. Now that's what I call putting it into perspective.

So these startling facts coupled with the Glamour feature got me really thinking about my own sun health, and I realized that I could be seriously at risk. Most days when I go to the lake in the summer, I don't bother to use sunscreen (very highly unrecommended), and if I do it's only about an SPF 15. The experts say use at least an SPF 30 that blocks both UVA and UVB rays, and reapply every couple hours.

Sound like too much? Not when you think about your risk factors for skin cancer, and how using a good sunscreen can drastically improve your odds against it. Take me for example, I like to tan (and used to burn alot when I was younger, dispite using sunscreen), I'm fair skinned with freckles and light eyes (meaning I have a lack of protective pigment, same with you blondes and redheads), I have scars (which can have a greater risk of developing squamous cell carcinoma), and I smoke (which I'm trying very hard to quit, I assure you).

Now, I had no idea that the last two had any effect on something like skin cancer, but smoking can not only damage your lungs, but can lead to nonmelanoma skin cancers.

And there's still the fact that I like a nice, healthy summer glow (and let me tell you, laying out on a boat on the lake is the most fun a girl can have), so what are my options? Well, for one, avoiding tanning beds at all costs. It turns out the UVA (deep-penetrating) rays in tanning beds are 15% stronger than the sun, and using tanning beds increases your risk of all types of skin cancer. (Yikes!)

The best bet, according to Glamour, is to fake-bake. As much as I've been opposed to it in the past, the products out there are getting much more natural-looking. And I've taken recently to trying a few.

Another key in skin cancer prevention is early detection, meaning doing monthly self-checks at home in the mirror, which can prevent up to 60% of deaths from melanoma. And if you see an odd looking spot, make sure you get it checked ASAP.

If anyone has anything else to add to this, feel free, because I know I didn't cover everything. And if you have a story about you or someone you know's battle with skin cancer, feel free to share it. I really want people to recognize how dangerous it can be to misuse their time in the sun.