Minnesota has third highest rate of melanoma in the U.S. and dermatologist says it's time to take extra precautions

Minnesota has the third highest rate of melanoma in the United States and as summer continues to heat up, dermatologists are reminding people to take extra precautions.

Experts say skin cancer is almost always curable when it's caught early, so along with regularly doing checks on moles and dark spots, Dermatologist Dr. Ronda Farah says a good place to start your prevention plan is with daily sunscreen use.

"For adults, we still want to apply sunscreen every day," says Farah. "You want to apply sunscreen every morning in at least a number 30. Skin cancer not only comes from burns and tanning beds, it also comes from the cumulative effect of getting a little bit of sun over and over."

She also says to stay away from tanning beds all together to avoid unnecessary skin damage.

Skin cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the U.S. and Minnesota is no different and has the highest rate in the Midwest. Minnesota is tied with New Hampshire and behind only Utah and Vermont, according to the latest statistics from the CDC.

Farah says getting started with prevention early could make all the difference.

"We usually recommend sunscreen for kids that are at least six months old," she says. "And teaching them how to do it so they can do it themselves can also be helpful. Putting the sunscreen on first and showing them that a sunscreen is important, by you applying it to yourself, can be helpful."

Some factors that might contribute to skin cancer risk among Minnesotans include:

High prevalence of outdoor activities, like spending all day at the lake or skiing.

Having an outdoor career, such as farming.

Insufficient sun protection, including not using sunscreen on exposed skin in the winter months.

A high non-Hispanic white population that tends to be at higher risk of skin cancers.