Gear

Sunscreen and Sun Protective Clothing

These simple, practical precautions will greatly reduce your risk of being the one in five American who will develop skin cancer

This is the bad news.

One of every five Americans is going to develop skin cancer. It is the most common form of cancer in the country today, accounting for one out of every three cancer diagnoses. And melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, has the unpleasant distinction of being the fastest rising in terms of its rate of occurrence.

More problematic, still, is the fact that anglers are among the group of folks most likely to contract skin cancer because we spend so much time in, on, and around water, snow and sand. The three surfaces that most reflect the sun’s damaging ultra-violet rays and are responsible for triggering malignant tumors.

The good news is that there are many practical things we can do to heighten the enjoyment of our fishing experiences, while at the same time substantially reducing our risk of developing skin cancer.

Think slipping, slopping, slapping, seeking and sliding.

The slogan is part of an ingenious Australian sun safety campaign that began over 35 years ago and has been adopted by health care agencies and skin cancer organizations around the world. And it starts by slipping into clothes that fully cover your arms, legs, hands, feet, neck and face.

READ THE FULL STORY ON IN-FISHERMAN