It’s photo evidence that can be an eye-opener.
The Canadian Cancer Society wants to shock teenagers into wearing sunscreen by touring the province with a UV photo booth, bringing it to schools, CEGEPs and even La Ronde to reveal sun damage that's not visible to the naked eye.
It has taken 10,000 UV photos of teenagers so far. It plans to survey the results in the fall.
Last year 30,000 Quebecers were diagnosed with skin cancer.
Dermatologist Michele Ohayon said patients are getting younger and younger.
"There's nothing sadder than looking at someone on their 30s and saying, 'I'm sorry, you have a melanoma. Your life expectancy just shrunk by this much, and your kids, you might not see them getting older,’” she said.
Martine Provost has heard those words. Under a UV light, her face reveals red spots from worshipping the sun.
“I was one of them that thought that beauty was tanning,” she said.
It came at a price – Provost had surgery to remove a melanoma on her back at only 32 years old.
“I never imagined. I have dark hair, and I never get sunburns,” she said.
At 34, Sylvain Poissant’s cancer has spread to his lungs and liver.
“It’s one of the things with skin cancer. You're going to be a lot exposed between 13 and 24 years old and you're just going to know at 30, 35, 40,” he said.
Ohayon said it’s never too late to start protecting your skin.
“Apply a sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or more, reapply at least every three hours per day, and stay out of the sun from 11 to 3, which are the rays that are most dangerous,” she said.
