By Michelle Durham

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — With the unofficial start of summer this weekend, physicians at Drexel University’s medical school are offering free screen cancer screenings on Thursday at Drexel Medicine, across the street from Hahnemann Hospital.

Dr. Mark Abdelmalek, chief of the Division Dermatologic Surgery at Drexel University, says you can just walk into the office without an appointment:

“What we’ll do is look over their skin and tell them, ‘You look good’ or, ‘There are a few spots that are suspicious, we better take a closer look.’ “

And he has advice on how to protect yourself and your children as summer approaches.

“Seek shade, cover up, wear sunscreen,” he says.  “Really, don’t get a sunburn — ever.  There’s almost no excuse for a sunburn these days.”

And for children, he adds, “You want to make sure before summer camp, before they go to the pool all day, they are getting some sunblock on 30 minutes before they go out.”

He says FDA changes will soon require sunblock makers to stop referring to their product as “waterproof,” so it’s important for anyone swimming for an extended period of time to reapply it.

The screenings are Thursday morning from 9am to 11:30am at 219 North Broad Street, 4th floor.