TUCSON, Ariz. — Lecia Bolton had a happy childhood, playing in the sun and staying athletic.

Because Bolton is fair-skinned, her mother was sure to protect her with sunscreen when she would go out to play. However, she never thought to put the sunscreen in her daughter’s hair.

About a year and a half ago, Bolton, 35, noticed a tender, light brown spot on her scalp, about the diameter of a pencil eraser, which would occasionally bleed and scab over. The spot was right where she parted her hair, about four inches from the hairline. She waited one month, then another, then another, but the scab never went away.

While on antibiotics for a different medical condition, she noticed the scab was still not healing. Finally, she decided to ask the doctor about it.

“He took one look at it and said, ‘Yep, that looks like skin cancer',” Bolton said.

The doctor took a biopsy of the spot to determine what kind of skin cancer Bolton had. He numbed the area and took a sample. The results came back quickly and Bolton was told that she had basal cell cancer.

“If you’re going to get cancer, that’s the best kind to get,” said Lindy Johnston, a nurse and coordinator for the Melanoma Program at Arizona Cancer Center, 3838 N. Campbell Ave.

Basal cell carcinoma is the most common and least serious kind of skin cancer because it grows slowly and rarely spreads. Another kind of skin cancer is squamous cell carcinoma, which can spread to vital organs. Melanoma is the most serious type but is highly treatable if detected early.

After the initial consultation, Bolton was sent for a full body exam to determine if she had signs of skin cancer anywhere else on her body. None was found.

Tips for using sun protection products Use one ounce - enough to fill a shot glass or medicine cup - to protect the average adult. Apply products 20 - 30 minutes before going outside. Don't forget to apply products to your ears, neck, scalp, hands and feet. Apply a lip balm with at least SPF 15+ to your lips. Reapply products every 90 minutes. Protect your eyes by wearing sunglasses with 100 percent protection from UV rays. Source: Arizona Cancer Center

Bolton was referred to a plastic surgeon, who removed the spot. He first trimmed her hair around the spot. Because the scalp bleeds more than other part of the body, he used a cauterizer, which burns the skin. This causes the blood to heat rapidly and coagulate, but destroys the tissue.

“The smell of frying skin is gross and fascinating at the same time,” Bolton said.

When Bolton later returned to the doctor, she was told that all the cancer had been removed. However, she was told that she now had a 50 percent greater chance of developing melanoma.

“Skin cancer is very prevalent in Arizona,” Johnston said. "Regular self-examination is very important."

According to the Arizona Department of Health Services, Arizona ranks second in the world in skin cancer incident rates.

Steve Stratton, associate professor at the Arizona Cancer Center, said Australia and New Zealand have the most occurances of skin cancer because the ozone is thinner in the Southern Hemisphere.

"The thinning of the ozone layers is allowing more ultraviolet light to pass through," he said, which is increasing the rate of skin cancer.

Stratton said the number of skin cancer cases is rising each year by the thousands. Last year, he said, there were about 46,000 new cases of melanoma in the U.S. and 8,000-9,000 deaths.

"The scary thing is, melanoma is occurring more often every year in younger and younger people," Stratton said, citing the case of an 11-year-old.

Although skin cancer usually shows up later in life, Johnston said that it is caused by sun damage experienced as a child.

Laurie Haskett, director of student services at Green Fields Country Day School, 6000 N. Camino de la Tierra, said that the teachers there are “pretty vigilant” about protecting the children from the sun.

“Every kindergartner, first-grader and second-grader must have a hat that they keep at school,” she said.

Also, every Friday a memo is sent home to parents with a reminder to apply sunscreen to the children, and sunscreen is kept at school for reapplying.

“We also ask that the children bring bottled water to school and recommend sunglasses for children with sensitive eyes,” Haskett said.

“Growing up, my mother was always conscious of putting sunscreen on me,” Bolton said. “But no one ever thinks to put sunscreen on their part.”

Although Bolton's preschool did not take sunscreen precautions, her mother was "very cautious" about applying sunscreen on her.

Bolton said that her scalp did occasionally get burned as a child, but only a couple of times. Bolton has one son, Carter, 8, and two daughters, Emma, 5, and Gracie, 2. She said she now makes sure to put sunscreen on the part in their hair.

“Nobody wants to put goop in their hair,” Johnston said. “But it is important to protect your scalp from the sun either with sunscreen or a hat.”

The doctors told Bolton to wear heavy-duty sunscreen and sent her away with Neutrogena SPF 70 sunscreen.

“It’s not so much the number of the SPF in the sunscreen as it is the ingredients,” Johnston said.

The key ingredients to look for when buying sunscreen are zinc oxide, titanium dioxide and avobenzone.

When Bolton’s mother asked her if she was now going to wear long sleeves and pants, Bolton replied, “No! That’s not realistic. I’d die of heat stroke before I’d die of skin cancer.”

Instead, Bolton said she will be sure to wear her sunscreen every day and stay in shady areas when possible.