The AVEENO Brand and The Skin Cancer Foundation Challenge Melanoma Epidemic With 5th Annual Road to Healthy Skin Tour

SKILLMAN, N.J., May 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Skin Cancer Foundation's Road to Healthy Skin Tour, presented by AVEENO® and Rite Aid, is once again touring the country to raise skin cancer awareness. Since its start in 2008, the Road to Healthy Skin Tour, staffed with local volunteer dermatologists, has made approximately 330 stops, screening more than 13,000 people and detecting 239 suspected cases of melanoma. This year, the AVEENO Brand is hitting the road in the Tour's customized RV to make an estimated 85 stops in 27 states from March through September 2012.

Over the past 40 years, rates of melanoma in people aged 18 to 39 grew by 800 percent among women, and 400 percent among men. This year, the need for skin cancer awareness has become even more urgent with an estimated 76,250 new cases of melanoma projected to occur in the United States – an alarming rise of 6,020 cases from 2011 figures. Increased exposure to ultraviolet radiation is a key force driving this melanoma "epidemic,"[i] with indoor tanning among young women accounting for the disproportionate prevalence. With the incidence of melanoma drastically increasing, the AVEENO Brand is pleased to support the Tour in its fifth year, providing free full-body skin cancer screenings, samples of AVEENO products and educational materials.

The Skin Cancer Foundation's Road to Healthy Skin Tour is a great example of the work that the AVEENO team is looking to highlight through the BE AN ACTIVE NATURAL™ Fund, established in April of 2012 to inspire people and organizations to embrace the spirit behind ACTIVE NATURALS®. Throughout the year, the makers of AVEENO will award more than $300,000 in grants to The Skin Cancer Foundation and individuals whose inspirational efforts nurture beautiful change in themselves, their communities and the world around them.

"Early detection plays an enormous role in saving lives, as skin cancers found and removed early are almost always curable," says Perry Robins, MD President of The Skin Cancer Foundation. "Skin cancer is primarily a lifestyle disease, which is why public awareness and education campaigns like the Tour are so important. The AVEENO brand is an important partner in our efforts to mobilize skin cancer screenings and provide skin cancer education to the public, and we appreciate their support of our mission."

To find a Road to Healthy Skin Tour stop or learn how to be a recipient of the BE AN ACTIVE NATURAL Fund grants visit the AVEENO Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/AVEENO. 

About the AVEENO® Brand:
The AVEENO® Brand is one of the brands of Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products Company Division of Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies, Inc. The AVEENO® Brand, a leader in ACTIVE NATURALS® technologies uses the best of nature to deliver scientifically proven results.  Most trusted by dermatologists for its natural ingredients and recommended for more than 60 years, the Brand is committed to developing breakthrough product formulations that deliver clinically proven, effective beauty care products. The AVEENO® Line includes products for face, body, baby, hair and sun protection. For more information about the AVEENO® Brand and its product offerings, visit www.aveeno.com or 'Like' us at www.facebook.com/aveeno.

About The Skin Cancer Foundation:
The Skin Cancer Foundation is the only global organization solely devoted to the prevention, early detection and treatment of skin cancer. The mission of the Foundation is to decrease the incidence of skin cancer through public and professional education and research. For more information, visit www.SkinCancer.org.

[i] "Jump in Melanoma Cases Expected in 2012," The Skin Cancer Foundation. Available at http://www.skincancer.org/news/melanoma/jump-in-melanoma-2012. 

SOURCE AVEENO(R) Brand