Skin Cancer Awareness Month campaign ideas for dermatology practices

When Skin Cancer Awareness Month happens, and who sponsors it

The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) puts it plainly: "Occurring every May, Skin Cancer Awareness Month (opens in a new tab) is 31 days devoted to shining the spotlight on skin cancer." The AAD's public resources for the month cover safe sun habits, choosing a sunscreen, skin self-exams and free skin checks.

The free checks have history. The AAD calls its Skin Cancer Check Program (opens in a new tab) its "longest-standing public health program," running since 1985, and says dermatologists have conducted more than 2.9 million free checks.

You won't find this observance on the federal list. ODPHP's National Health Observances page (opens in a new tab) doesn't feature it, so the AAD is the source to check. Dates change — verify each year: the month is stable, but campaigns and materials are not. The full-year view, from heart health in February to dental awareness months in the fall, is in our health awareness calendar.

Demand looks like this (Google Ads Keyword Planner data via DataForSEO, US, 12-month average to Sep 2026):

The observance searches tell you what's on people's minds in May. The patient searches, "skin cancer screening near me" in particular, are what to bid on.

Melanoma awareness: overlapping campaigns

May also carries Melanoma Awareness Month, run by the Melanoma Research Foundation (MRF). Its 2026 campaign (opens in a new tab), #GetNaked, focused on prevention, early detection and "annual dermatological skin checks."

The two campaigns overlap rather than compete. Skin Cancer Awareness Month covers all skin cancers and sun protection. Melanoma Awareness Month narrows the message to the type MedlinePlus calls "the most serious type of skin cancer." (opens in a new tab) A practice doesn't need two campaigns; it needs one that uses both names where they fit:

• Use "Skin Cancer Awareness Month" on screening-day pages and lobby signs.
• Use "melanoma" in the article that teaches the warning signs, since that's the word patients search when a mole worries them.

Campaign ideas: screenings, articles and social posts

A May campaign works best with one bookable service and two or three supporting pieces.

A screening day or week. Block a set number of full-body skin check slots and publish a landing page with the terms: who qualifies, what the visit covers, and what happens if a spot needs a biopsy. If you want your event in the AAD's free-check locator, contact the AAD; its page links a "find a free skin cancer check" tool but doesn't explain how practices join.

An ABCDEs article. The AAD's ABCDEs of melanoma (opens in a new tab) are widely repeated and often garbled, so cite the source directly: asymmetry ("one half of the spot is unlike the other half"), border, color, diameter and evolving. The AAD advises patients to see a board-certified dermatologist for new spots or spots that change, itch or bleed.

A "who should get checked" article. The CDC lists risk factors (opens in a new tab) including lighter natural skin color, skin that burns or freckles easily, a history of sunburns or tanning, certain types and large numbers of moles, a family or personal history of skin cancer, and older age. Quote the list rather than paraphrasing it into scarier language.

Social posts your team can make. A dermatologist demonstrating a self-exam on their own arm. A photo of the screening-day sign-up sheet. A sunscreen myth answered in one sentence with the AAD as the source. Medfy doesn't post to social media, so these come from your team.

For the year-round plan, see our dermatology marketing guide. May is shared with eye care practices running Healthy Vision Month, whose sun-protection message (sunglasses) pairs naturally with yours. And June's Men's Health Month gives you a second, smaller push aimed at men.

Before May, it's worth knowing how your site and listings perform today. A free marketing audit scores six areas and lists the top five fixes.

Ads around the month: what Google and Meta allow

Skin cancer ads run into three policy areas. None is unique to May, but the observance tempts practices into the wrong creative.

Shock imagery. Google's inappropriate content policy (opens in a new tab) bars "promotions containing violent language, gruesome or disgusting imagery, or graphic images or accounts of physical trauma" and "promotions that are likely to shock or scare." A close-up of an ulcerated lesion is a risky choice for an ad, even if it's medically accurate. Use your clinic, your team or a clean illustration.

Implying the viewer has a condition. Meta's personal attributes policy (opens in a new tab) bans ads that assert or imply a person's physical health. Its own examples allow "New diabetes treatment available" and reject "Do you have diabetes?" The same logic turns "Worried about that mole?" into a likely rejection and "Skin checks with a board-certified dermatologist" into a safe line.

Audiences. Google's personalized advertising policy (opens in a new tab) treats Health as a sensitive interest category, where remarketing lists and Customer Match are not supported. Target by location and search terms. If you also promote cosmetic services in May, Meta's health and wellness policy (opens in a new tab) requires cosmetic ads to target people 18 and older and restricts before-and-after imagery.

Medfy's Google Ads management add-on ($199/month) reviews search terms daily, adds negative keywords and paces budget under a monthly ceiling you control, with ad copy suggestions checked against healthcare policy. The Meta ads + AI creatives add-on ($199/month) makes static ads from your own website with policy-safe copy. Ad spend goes directly to Google and Meta. More on channels and budgets is in our dermatology advertising guide.

Medical claims you can and can't make

The FTC's Health Products Compliance Guidance (opens in a new tab) is the yardstick for practices too: claims about health benefits "require substantiation in the form of competent and reliable scientific evidence," and a marketer "is equally responsible for the accuracy of claims suggested or reasonably implied." The FTC judges the ad by what consumers understand, not by what you meant.

Testimonials from patients whose cancer was caught early are powerful and need care. The FTC warns that testimonials reporting results more dramatic than people can generally expect are likely deceptive, and HIPAA requires a patient's written authorization before you use their story in marketing. See our summary of FTC rules on health claims before you write the ad.

This is general information, not legal advice. Confirm how it applies to your practice with a qualified advisor.

Measuring the campaign

Decide the measure before May starts, then compare May with April and with last May.

• Screenings booked and completed. The count that matters. Track how many came from the landing page, from calls and from walk-in sign-ups.
• Calls, forms and booking clicks from the screening page and your Google Business Profile.
• Search impressions for "skin cancer screening" and "skin check" in Google Search Console.
• Cost per booked screening for any paid campaign: ad spend divided by booked visits, not clicks.
• Follow-up visits that came out of the screenings, counted in aggregate, never by named patient in a marketing report.

Medfy's first-party website analytics count calls, forms, booking clicks and directions, and its Google reporting puts Search Console, Google Analytics and Business Profile in one view. Marketing reports use aggregate numbers only. Expect two effects to watch for: a short rise in bookings during the campaign, and search visits to the article that can continue into the next spring.

Frequently asked questions

When is Skin Cancer Awareness Month?

Every May. The American Academy of Dermatology describes it as "31 days devoted to shining the spotlight on skin cancer," occurring every May, and it runs public resources on sun protection, self-exams and free skin checks. The Melanoma Research Foundation runs Melanoma Awareness Month in the same month. Confirm the year's themes on aad.org and melanoma.org a few weeks before you plan, since campaigns change annually.

Is Melanoma Awareness Month the same as Skin Cancer Awareness Month?

They share May but come from different sponsors. The AAD's Skin Cancer Awareness Month covers all skin cancers, prevention and checks. The Melanoma Research Foundation's Melanoma Awareness Month focuses on melanoma, which MedlinePlus calls the most serious type of skin cancer; its 2026 #GetNaked campaign pushed annual skin checks. A dermatology practice can run one campaign that honors both.

How can a dermatology practice promote free skin checks?

Set a date, decide how many slots you can staff, and publish a landing page with the terms: who qualifies, what the check covers and what happens if something needs a biopsy. Promote it through your website, Google Business Profile and local ads. The AAD has run free skin cancer checks since 1985; contact the AAD to learn whether your event can be listed in its locator.

What can I say in a skin cancer screening ad?

Describe the service, who performs it and how to book. Avoid promising outcomes such as guaranteed early detection, avoid fear-based copy, and don't imply the viewer has a suspicious mole. The FTC expects health claims to rest on competent and reliable scientific evidence, Google bans promotions likely to shock or scare, and Meta rejects ads that assert a viewer's medical condition.