Facts to Know

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1. When the skin becomes dry it needs water and oil to help rejuvenate it.

2. The skin is your body's first defense against disease and infection. It is the largest organ in the body. It helps regulate body temperature and prevent fluid loss; furthermore, it helps your body remove excess water and salt.

3. The process of producing healthy new skin cells and removing or shedding old cells takes about 28 days.

4. As you age, your skin becomes thinner and often drier. Thinning skin is largely a result of a breakdown of collagen fibers. As it ages, skin loses elasticity and becomes more fragile, especially if it has been exposed to excessive sunlight.

5. Because exposure to the sun influences how well your skin ages, protecting the skin from the sun is the single most important practice in skin care.

6. Continuous exposure to the sun will wrinkle, dry out and age the skin, leaving it coarse. Uneven pigmentation—from freckles to brown spots—is another side effect of frequent sunning.

7. The most serious consequence of sun exposure is skin cancer. Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer, making up nearly half of all diagnosed cases of cancer, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS).

8. Skin cancer can take up to 20 years or more to develop; it's important to remember that a person's average lifetime sun exposure risk occurs before age 18.

9. Anyone can develop skin cancer, although people with fair complexions tend to be more susceptible to specific types of skin cancer and precancerous conditions than people with darker skin tones.

10. The earliest warning sign of severe skin damage is the development of actinic keratoses. Lesions appear as scaly red/brown bumps on the face, ears, neck, lips and forearms or on the backs of the hands.