Summer time is here! For me, this time of year signifies long, sunny days spent at the lake or on the beach. In my childhood, these summer mornings included the sounds of me and my sisters running around, laughing and bubbling over with joy at the prospect of what the day had in store for us. My mom would be in the kitchen preparing the cooler with sandwiches, drinks and snacks, while my dad would make sure that everything we needed – life preserves, towels, umbrellas – was ready for the day. Even now, as I write this, I can almost smell the sand and salt from the beach or the water and Spanish moss from the lake. What I do not remember is sunscreen! I know it is an odd thing to realize, but as I was reading through all of the wonderful articles for this issue I was startled by this epiphany. In all of the years my family spent at the beach or the lake, I do not remember sunscreen being one of the necessary items we would bring with us – especially when I was younger. Sun care just was not something people worried about in the 70s. Throughout the articles in this issue, the authors provide you with their in depth knowledge of sun protection, from the ingredients to look for to the protocols to follow before and after treatments. One of our goals here at DERMASCOPE is to provide our readers with the most current and relevant information available in the industry; thereby assisting the aesthetics professional in gaining a true understanding of our profession, our customers and our potential. It is my hope that the articles within this issue inspire you to take a look at your current treatment menu and the current measures you are taking to help ensure the safety of your client's skin from the sun. After all, as Laura Brockway-Lunardi, Ph.D. pointed out in her article, "The Science of Prevention", skin cancer is the most common cancer in the U.S. with more than two million Americans diagnosed annually. That is an alarming statistic which shows that although society is becoming more aware of the damage caused by UV rays, the occurrence of skin cancer is still rising. It is our job as skin care professionals to do all we can do to get the word out about sun protection. Please feel free to contact me; your suggestions and comments are welcome so please e-mail me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . I look forward to hearing from you! Best regards, Want to read more? Subscribe to one of our monthly plans to continue reading this article.