May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month, and doctors are renewing their warning to people to take precautions while in the sun.

Dr. Adrienne Haughton, a dermatologist in Commack, says anyone in the sun should be using a sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or over.

She calls skin cancer a very preventable disease.

"It's very easy for patients to look in the mirror or to illicit help from a family member or friend to check. A lot of people come in because a family member notices a changing mole," says Dr. Haughton.

Jennifer Moresco, of Holbrook, first noticed a spot on her arm after her 2-year-old daughter made mention of it. The spot turned out to be melanoma.

"When they said melanoma...I mean, I thought it was a death sentence," says Moresco.

Moresco says she immediately came to Dr. Haughton. The good news is that it was caught early and a plastic surgeon removed the cancerous spot. Two years later, Moresco still comes to her doctor every three months to get a skin cancer screening.

"Go every year and get your body checked and take it seriously," she told News 12.

Doctors say skin cancer is the most common cancer in the U.S., with over 5 million cases diagnosed each year.