When the skin becomes dry it needs water, not oil, to help rejuvenate it.

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.

The earliest warning sign of severe skin damage is the development of actinic keratoses. These precancerous lesions affect approximately one in six people. These lesions appear as crusty bumps that may itch or feel tender on the backs of the hands, or on the face, ears, neck, lips, and forearms. Usually more prevalent in older people, this precancer is appearing more frequently in people between the ages of 20 and 40.

The skin is your body's first defence against disease and infection, and it protects your internal organs from injuries. It is the largest organ in the body. It regulates body temperature and both prevents fluid loss, as well as helps your body remove excess water and salt.

The process of producing healthy new skin cells and removing or shedding old cells takes about 28 days. As you age, your skin becomes thinner and often drier. Thinning skin is a result of a breakdown of collagen fibres. As it ages, skin loses elasticity, especially if it has been exposed to excessive sunlight, and becomes more fragile.

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

The most serious consequence of sun exposure is skin cancer. Some statistics show that half of all cancer will be skin cancer. Skin cancer can take up to 20 years to develop; it's important to remember that a person's average lifetime sun exposure risk occurs before age 18. In fact, very young children who experience as few as two to three sunburns are believed to have an increased risk of developing skin cancer later in life.

Most healthcare professionals recommend a simple cleansing regimen as the best approach to keep skin healthy and youthful: a gentle cleanser using warm, not hot water, no abrasive scrubs (they can cause broken blood vessels, scratch the skin and irritate clogged pores), and when necessary, a moisturizer and sunscreen. In addition, gently patting the skin dry rather than a vigorous rub down after a bath or shower, helps to preserve moisture.

Basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma account for approximately 80 percent of all new cases of skin cancer.

Malignant melanoma is the least common, but most aggressive of the three types of skin cancer. More than 38,000 new cases of malignant melanoma are expected each year. In women, the rate of melanoma skin cancer is rising at a rate second only to lung cancer.