Staying safe with sunscreen and screenings

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KFVS) - With heat heading into the Heartland and summer approaching, health experts want you to be prepared.

At Capaha Park in Cape Girardeau, one mother protects her children by using sunscreen. Lisa Hughes and her two kids spent a day off at the park, with a staple of their trips being sunscreen.

“I’ve seen people get ill, and have serious pain from not using it,” Hughes said.

Jennifer Icaza-Gast is the owner of Alliance Health, which specializes in Dermatology. Icaza-Gast said the most important thing is preparation.

“it’s so important to wear your sunscreen,” Icaza-Gast said. “We get extremely busy in the summer time. We’ve got a lot of golfers, a lot of swimmers, a lot of people that spend time out there in the sun.”

According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, more than 5 million cases are diagnosed in the United States each year, making it America’s most common cancer.

Frank Hicks is a Radiation Therapist. He said there is another option besides going under the knife. He uses a device to scan parts of your body for cancer, and also treat skin cancer through radiation.

“We get a lot of sunbathers from the 70′s and 80′s that just laid on top of their buildings with iodine on them and baby oil and stuff like that,” Hicks said.

Lisa Hughes said the top priority for her family is their health and safety.

“It’s terrifying, and knowing they could’ve worn sunscreen and prevented some of it,” Hughes said.

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