Deadly cancer easy to miss

Every 60 minutes, somebody dies from skin cancer in Canada.

Kelowna's Dr. Ben Wiese is hoping he can change that statistic. 

Wiese owns and practices at a specialized clinic dedicated to skin health and sun safety.

With the first long weekend of the tourist season upon us, and many heading outdoors, Wiese has some simple tips and tricks to keep you sun safe. 

''The emphasis is really making sure you get to know your skin, especially with more sun exposure," he says.

''The easiest way of protecting your skin is having protective clothing on, like hats, sunglasses, and then cover up. Whatever is not covered up, this is where one would use some form of protection like sunscreen."

Melanoma is 90 per cent preventable. However, if you have had tanning bed exposure before the age of 30, your risk of contracting the skin cancer goes up by a whopping 75 per cent. 

''The scary thing about skin cancer is most patients would say 'it's just skin cancer.' Well, first of all it's disfiguring and it can kill you,'' Wiese added. 

For more information on skin cancer, click here.