Sun Safety Outreach to Families Takes Flight at the Plano Hot Air Balloo...( Local volunteers representing the Wo...),Health

Local volunteers representing the Women's Dermatologic Society (WDS) will help Texan balloon enthusiasts play safe in the sun with free skin cancer

screenings and sun safety tips for all seasons and all skin types.

PLANO, Texas, Sept. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Even though higher altitudes mean heightened UV intensity and risks of harmful sun exposure, balloon enthusiasts enjoying the upcoming Plano Hot Air Balloon Festival will be able to "Play Safe in the Sun", thanks to a team of local volunteers representing the Women's Dermatologic Society (WDS), who will promote family sun safety and good skin health habits on September 21-23, 2007.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050505/SFTH074LOGO )

Through the award-winning WDS national campaign, Families Play Safe in the Sun, Board-certified dermatologists and other WDS volunteers from the Greater Dallas area will offer FREE skin cancer screenings, sun damage assessments, educational materials, sunscreen, sun safety giveaways and children's activities in a dynamic exhibition tent on the festival grounds in Oak Point Park.

WDS member Sarah Weitzul, MD, Assistant Professor of Dermatology, UT Southwestern Medical Center will host this community service outreach, which is designed to promote sun protection and skin cancer prevention for all ages, skin types and seasons. Plano, TX marks the 13th stop of the highly successful 15-city, 3-year national campaign which is made possible by a generous grant from the 3M Foundation.

In recognition of the local WDS outreach, Plano Mayor Pat Evans will formally proclaim September 21 as "Families Play Safe in the Sun" Day in recognition of the local volunteer effort to raise awareness about the importance of family sun safety on a daily and year-round basis for all citizens.

Suzanne Connolly, MD, Associate Professor of Dermatology at the Mayo Clinic (Ar
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