Skin cancer Awareness Month

Did you know, 1 in 5 Americans will develop skin cancer by the age of 70?

Too often, skin cancer is not taken seriously enough and too often, it spreads much faster than you’d think. Today, we’re going to chat about prevention and checking, signs and symptoms.

Sunscreen
Obviously this is the first step for prevention. Truly the most important thing to use on a daily basis and just a good habit to get into. I love to use it in a tinted sunscreen form, like the Skinbetter, Tizo 3 or the CC Cream from Skintegrity. These also give a great “no makeup” makeup look. If you’re looking for a non-tinted one option, Face Reality 28 and 30 are great also. Seriously though, you should be wearing sunscreen no matter what - whether you work indoors, outdoors, doesn’t matter. UV rays can still come through windows, so do yourself the favor and just wear the darn sunscreen! You’ll thank me later.

Protective Clothes
Another great preventative option is to wear protective clothes, so, hats, shirts, pants etc. that cover the area of exposed skin. Remember, you can even get sunburned in the winter and it could be even worse if there’s snow on the ground with the UV rays bouncing off the snow and back onto your skin. Utlize clothes and sunscreen to cover up!

Shade
This one might seem a bit obvious, but always keep a lookout for a nice, shady spot if you’re going to be outside all day. Whether it’s to cool off or get some relief from the UV rays, a shady spot will be a much welcomed break from the sun (even if you are wearing sunscreen). Keep in mind, everyone’s skin is different so, while one person might need a break after 4 hours, another person can be out for 8. Just be sure you’re paying attention to how you’re feeling and how your skin is looking and feeling in the sun.

Signs
While it can be hard to spot signs of early stages of skin cancer, here are some things you can keep an eye out for. First, take note of any freckles, sunspots or moles you have. It’s important to do self-checks so you know what’s going on with your body. Next, if you see a change in the freckles, sunspots or moles, you should definitely get it checked by a dermatologist, especially if a new one develops or its an unusual shape or color. Better to be safe than sorry! If anything is itchy or gets flakey or scaly and raised, it’s best to just go get it checked and while you’re at it, just schedule an annual appointment to get your skin checked, especially if any sort of skin cancer (melanoma) runs in the family.

Sunscreen Ingredients
This one is often overlooked, but is just as important! Sunscreen ingredients matter y’all. So, watch out for sunscnreens with oxybenzone in it. This is a huge red flag because it’s a hormone disruptor, meaning it can have an effect on your hormones and be absorbed directly into your bloodstream. It’s also a skin irritant and can cause rashes and redness, so why would you want to use any product with that in it anyways!?

Basically, I just want y’all to be safe and please take skin cancer seriously. I know having a great tan in the summer is awesome, but just 2 major sunburns could increase your chances of getting skin cancer. This is not me trying to scare you, just giving you the facts! Skin cancer is no joke, especially the younger you are. When you’re under 18 is usually when the most sun damage takes place. So trust me, do the cool thing, prevent cancer and LATHER UP.