VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – With the first hot and sunny long weekend of the summer, a lot of us will be spending time outside, especially with so many events happening.

But there’s a continuing danger of skin cancer.

The Canadian Cancer Society‘s Julia Hayos says they are seeing more people covering up in the sun, but the cultural shift away from tanning isn’t happening fast enough.

“We know that skin cancer rates are still on the rise and skin cancer is still the most common cancer diagnosed in Canada,” she explains. “The key thing is that it’s preventable so that’s why we’re still out trying to change some of those norms around tanning and let people know that no tan is a safe tan.”

She says if you are going to be spending a lot of in the sun this weekend, use a sunscreen with an SPF of 15 to 30, wear a hat and try to find shade whenever you can.

Hayos adds that skin cancer doesn’t pick and choose who it affects, but there is one specific group they want to warn.

“It’s everybody basically but part of the reason that we focus on youth is that melanoma is one of the most common cancers for young people between the ages of 15-29, again mostly preventable.”