Twelve Alarming Statistics of Skin Cancer

This month, Price Skin Care Clinic is running a series of blog posts on the topic of skin cancer during National Skin Cancer Awareness Month. Please share this article with anyone who might be at risk for skin cancer. You might save their life.

Although the statistics of skin cancer are alarming, numbers often don’t mean anything to us until they hit home. When you or someone you care about is diagnosed with skin cancer, the statistics can get very personal.

“Behind every number and statistic of skin cancer is an individual with a name,” says Richard Price, M.D. and director of Price Skin Care Clinic in Ridgeland, Mississippi. “Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the United States. And given the statistics below, everyone should take skin cancer seriously because most of us have some measure of risk.”

Below please find a list of twelve alarming statistics related to skin cancer in the United States.

#1: One in five Americans will develop skin cancer by the age of 70

#2: Having five or more sunburns doubles your risk for melanoma.

#3: An estimated 3.6 million cases of basal cell carcinoma are diagnosed in the US every year.

#4: More people are diagnosed with skin cancer in the US each year than all other cancers combined.

#5: An estimated 7,180 people will die of melanoma in 2021.

#6: In the past decade the number of new invasive melanoma cases diagnosed annually increased by 44 percent.

#7: In the past two decades melanoma incidence has risen 20% among Hispanics.

#8: An estimated 207,390 cases of melanoma will be diagnosed in the US in 2021.

#9: Late stage melanoma diagnoses are more prevalent among Hispanic and Black patients than non-Hispanic white patients.

#10: An estimated 1.8 million cases of squamous cell carcinoma are diagnosed in the US every year.

#11: Approximately 3,000 new cases of Merkel cell carcinoma are diagnosed annually in the U.S.

#12: An estimated 9,500 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with skin cancer every day.

As alarming as these statistics are, there is some good news. Skin cancer is one of the most preventable skin cancers there is. Practicing safe sun habits, performing monthly skin self-exams and seeing your skin doctor annually for skin cancer screenings are the keys to keeping your skin healthy and cancer free.

To make an appointment for your annual skin cancer screening, please call Dr. Price at 601-992-3996.