Skin cancer is the most common of all cancers, affecting more than one million North Americans each year.

Melanoma causes the majority of skin cancer deaths and accounts for about 3 per cent of cases.

The Canadian Cancer Society estimates that in 2008 there will be 4,600 new cases of melanoma in Canada and about 910 deaths.

Melanoma tends to occur at a younger age than most cancers, with half of all diagnosis made in people younger than 57.

One in every 30,000 girls aged 15 to 19 will develop melanoma, one in 15,000 boys will develop it.

Melanomas often start as small, molelike growths that increase in size and change colour.

A simple ABCD rule outlines the warning signals of melanoma:

A -- is for asymmetry; one half of the mole does not match the other half.

B -- is for border irregularity, with edges that are ragged, notched or blurred.

C -- is for colour, where the pigmentation is not uniform, with variable degrees of tan, brown or black.

D -- is for diameter greater than 6 millimetres. A sudden or progressive increase in size is a particular concern.

Rhonda Sparks is a mother of four who lost her 32-year-old husband to melanoma.

"We were just so ignorant to the causes of skin cancer and how deadly it can be," she says. Spurred into action to help raise awareness about this disease, she began UV Skinz, which manufactures a line of UV protective swim shirts and accessories.

The swim shirts are chemical free and offer all-day sun protection, carrying an ultraviolet protection factor or UPF rating of 50+, which blocks out more than 98 percent of the sun's harmful rays. More information on these products can be found at website uvskinz.com.

And for those dealing with compromised skin due to cancer treatments, there are products made especially to help alleviate side-effects that can occur when undergoing radiation and chemotherapy.

Early detection and prevention is critical when it comes to skin cancer. The sun's ultraviolet rays are strongest during midday hours (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.), so exposure should be limited during these times.

Ultraviolet radiation (UV) damages the skin in many ways, including accelerating signs of aging such as wrinkles, leathering and fine lines.

If you must be out, dermatologists recommend wearing sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher to help avoid overexposure. Also recommended are hats that provide shade to the face, neck and ears, and a long-sleeved shirt and long pants.

Children should be protected from the sun because of the possible link between severe sunburns in childhood and elevated risk of melanoma in later life.

Adults should practise skin self-exam annually, looking for any changes in skin growths or appearance of new growths. If suspicious lesions are found, a physician should evaluate these promptly.

Basal and squamous cell skin cancers often take the form of a pale, waxlike, pearly nodule, or a red, scaly, sharply outlined patch. A physician should also check a sudden or progressive change in a mole's appearance.

Are tanning beds a good alternative? The International Agency for Research on Cancer, a branch of the World Health Organization, reviewed 19 international studies and found a strong association between tanning bed use and melanoma risk.

It was determined that those who have ever used tanning beds have a 15 per cent higher risk of developing melanoma. And based on seven worldwide studies, people who first use a tanning bed before age 35 increase their risk for melanoma by 75 per cent.