Just when I think that the message is getting across, another resident returns from a trip to the Caribbean with a sunburn. Granted, they work hard and they deserve a relaxing vacation in a lovely setting; but do they have to damage their skin? Hasn't the wealth of information appearing in medical journals and the lay press about the dangers of excessive sun exposure reached them? Is peer pressure still so great that it overrides common (and even educated) sense? Sometimes I wonder.
The current epidemic of skin cancer is not fresh news. The cancer statistics are appalling, and they have been for some time. Basal cell carcinoma, the most common skin cancer, is clearly a consequence of the effects of UV radiation on the skin. Squamous cell carcinoma is similarly related to sun exposure. Although the association of malignant melanoma, the most dangerous of the skin cancers, and sun