Sun Damage Pics That Will Scare You into Using SPF

We could tell you all of the gory side effects of spending too much time in the sun. We could list all of the harm sun damage causes (wrinkles, freckles, tumors, skin cancer). We could scare you with statistics about melanoma and skin cancer (two million people are diagnosed every year). We could tell you the number of people who die every year because of this horrible, mostly preventable disease (as many as 8,800 in 2012). And how's this for terrifying: every year, there are more new cases of skin cancer diagnosed than breast, prostate, lung and colon cancer ... combined.

We tell you this for all the good it does. Because apparently some of you still aren't getting the message. More than 35 percent of American adults say they've used a tanning bed according to a report published in JAMA Dermatology. The Food and Drug Administration estimates that about 30 million Americans use indoor tanning beds every year. And since 1992, melanoma rates have steadily climbed by about 3 percent every year. But enough about the statistics. This is one case where a picture is worth more than 1,000 words. These skin cancer images and pictures of women with sun damage are the stuff that save lives. Take a look and see if it doesn't scare you into using sunscreen or staying out of the high noon sun. Share it with the friend who still insists it's okay to hit the tanning beds or get that "base tan" sans sunscreen. Remember these images the next time you think, "I don't really need to re-apply my sunscreen" or "I'll just be out in the sun for a few minutes." You're gonna thank us for it.