Remember that bad, blistering sunburn you got when you were eleven, because you stayed too long at the beach without reapplying sunblock? That one incident may have doubled your chances of developing melanoma.
On Valentine’s Day in 2010, I lost my paternal grandfather to melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. Sorry to start on such a sad note, but the truth is that every year, more than 2 million people are diagnosed with a type of skin cancer. In 2011 alone, over 100,000 new cases of melanoma were diagnosed in the United States, and almost nine thousand of those cases resulted in death.
What does that mean? Every hour, someone dies from melanoma.
Skin cancer is already the most common form of cancer. Yet most people aren’t aware that they can follow some easy steps for skin cancer prevention.
SO WHAT CAN YOU DO TO PROTECT YOURSELF?
1. Perform a self-exam
What does this mean? It means find ten minutes every month to grab a light, a full-length mirror, a blow dryer, and a hand mirror. Then strip down, and start looking for warning signs of skin cancer. You can look herefor step-by-step instructions on how to perform a self-exam, starting at your face and scalp and working your way down your body.
If you find something that matches one of the descriptions below, schedule an appointment with a doctor who specializes in diseases of the skin, like your dermatologist. You need to go ahead and make an appointment for him/her to perform an annual check-up as well.
What are you looking for? According to skincancer.org, these are your warning signs:
- A skin growth that increases in size and appears pearly, translucent, tan, brown, black, or multicolored
-
A mole, birthmark, beauty mark, or any brown spot that:
- changes color
- increases in size or thickness
- changes in texture
- is irregular in outline
- is bigger than 6mm or 1/4″, the size of a pencil eraser
- appears after age 21
- A spot or sore that continues to itch, hurt, crust, scab, erode, or bleed
- An open sore that does not heal within three weeks
2. Wear sunscreen
Nowadays, you can find sunscreen that isn’t the greasy, thick, smelly white lotion that your mother lathered all over you when you were younger. A good number of facial lotions and makeup have added SPF. I actually like buying facial lotion with built-in SPF, like this one, and putting it on my hands every day as well, because facial lotions tend to be more lightweight and less greasy. Just make sure it has at least SPF 15 and that you use it every day. If you are going to be in the sun for a long period of time, aim for at least SPF 30, and re-apply at least every 2 hours.
Most importantly, be liberal with your sunscreen application. You should be using at least 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) to cover your whole body. And don’t think that your clothing will provide that much protection either. Your lightweight white t-shirt gives you around SPF 5 coverage, which is not enough protection during an entire day outside without sunscreen.
3. STOP TANNING!
I know, nobody wants to hear it, but the truth is that any darkening of your skin is a reaction from UVA/UVB rays. That doesn’t mean that you’re automatically more likely to have skin cancer if your skin is naturally darker! (Though changes and warning signs can be harder to detect.) That does mean that any type of tanning, whether you get it from the beach or a bed, is actually a sign that your skin cells’ DNA is damaged. Some people believe that getting a “baseline tan” will prevent you from getting a sunburn and skin cancer. But the reality is that a baseline tan only gives you an SPF of 2-3 – less than what you get from your clothing – so it really isn’t worth the risk.
So, skip the tanning (you don’t really want to look like Snooki, do you?). If you still want that bronze glow, fake it. Use bronzer on your face and chest (like thisone from CoverGirl) and self-tanning lotion on your legs and arms (like thisgreat one from L’Oreal), or just get an airbrush tan from a local sunless tanning studio (Toast, in Raleigh, has received great reviews).
While Vitamin D is healthy for your body and can actually decrease your risk of internal cancers, excessive exposure to the sun will give you a higher risk of skin cancer and sun-spotted, leathery skin as you get older. Walking to the BC for lunch, and to your classes, should actually be enough to fulfill your daily dose of Vitamin D.
So, Collegiettes, I challenge you to stop baking in the sun like a rotisserie chicken and to rock your natural skin tone, whatever shade that may be.
Have any more tips about easy skin cancer prevention? Feel free to check out www.skincancer.org and leave a comment below!
Sources:
http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/skin/statistics/
http://www.skincancer.org/skin-cancer-information/skin-cancer-facts
http://www.skincancer.org/skin-cancer-information/early-detection/if-you-can-spot-it-you-can-stop-it
http://www.skincancer.org/prevention/tanning/is-a-tan-ever-a-good-thing
Photo Sources:
http://askanesthetician.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/princ_rm_photo_of_skin_cancer_screening.jpg
http://www.skincancer.org/skin-cancer-information/early-detection/if-you-can-spot-it-you-can-stop-it
http://www.skincancer.org/skin-cancer-information
http://www.skincancer.org/Media/Default/Page/prevention/sun-protection/sunscreen/sunscreenback.jpg
http://www.skincancer.org/Media/Default/Page/prevention/tanning/iStock_000006706337Small.jpg