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One third of Americans will suffer from a skin cancer in their lifetime. That rate is climbing every year.
- 63,000 melanomas were diagnosed in the United States in 2009. That number is climbing every year.
- Melanoma kills more than one American every hour.
- Melanomas and other skin cancers result from damage done by the sun’s rays.
- Most sun damage is done before 18 years of age.
Skin cancers, and skin cancer related deaths are largely preventable by taking a few simple steps.
Most of the damage is done early in life, and the medical community has struggled to find an effective skin cancer prevention program.
Dr. Iah Maher, Assistant Professor of Dermatology at MCV, is the founder of Sun Safe Soccer. The program is officially being made a national program by the America Society for Dermatologic Surgery. VCCL is proud to be one of the first participating youth soccer leagues.
The program takes a new approach by teaching soccer coaches about the basics of sun protection and motivating and empowering these proven leaders to pass that knowledge on to their players.
In the coming months, our coaches will receive a special training on the program with strategies to implement the fundamentals into their team routine.
By educating coaches and players about the easy steps to minimize unnecessary sun exposure over time, we can prevent skin cancers and save lives.
The Sun Safe Soccer Program teaches those simple steps.
Before the game: Safety First -- Sunscreen Then Shinguards
After the game: Cool Down, Cool Off, and Cover Up
For answers to your question about the Sun Safe Soccer program, please join the Facebook group SunSafeSoccer or follow them at @SunSafeSoccer on Twitter. They are happy to answer any questions through these two forums.
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