It’s party time for most Americans! Birthday parties, swimming parties and events, beach trips and more are the rule of the summer time fun while the kids are out of school. Soaking up the rays can be good for your vitamin D and even for your brain in that sunlight helps depression and your bones and more. It’s not all fun and games though. I had melanoma, a form of deadly skin cancer and one of the most deadly cancers there is. It can be very tiny and in non-sun exposed areas such as buried in your scalp or belly button, your inner ear or the back of your eye… the retina. I’ll stick to skin cancers from tanning beds and sun for now. Skin cancer surgery can be disfiguring and devastating and skin cancer is deadly. I would love to share how to identify skin cancer and also to wear sunscreen. Wearing sunscreen helps prevent aging too! In an age where we spend thousands on Botox, fillers and anti-aging lasers and products… did you know you can save so much of your time and money wearing sunscreen? Parents make your kids wear it all the time as a habit like brushing teeth!! I wish I would have as a kid. Aging and skin cancer and all preventable. I will give you published advice from the American Academy of Dermatology on sunscreens and cancers. Read more at
The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) published frequently asked questions. Here is straight from their site:
A sunscreen that offers the above helps to protect your skin from sunburn, early skin aging and skin cancer. However, sunscreen alone cannot fully protect you. In addition to wearing sunscreen, dermatologists recommend taking the following steps to protect your skin and detect skin cancer early, when it’s most treatable:
Every day if you will be outside. The sun emits harmful UV rays year-round. Even on cloudy days, up to 80% of the sun’s harmful UV rays can penetrate the clouds.7
Be extra mindful about applying sunscreen around snow, sand, and water, as these surfaces reflect the sun’s rays, increasing your chance of sunburn.
The United States Department of Health & Human Services and the World Health Organization’s International Agency of Research on Cancer have declared UV radiation from the sun and artificial sources, such as tanning beds and sun lamps, a known carcinogen (cancer-causing substance).9
There is no safe way to tan. Every time you tan, you damage your skin. As this damage builds, you speed up the aging of your skin and increase your risk for all types of skin cancer.
The United States Department of Health & Human Services and the World Health Organization’s International Agency of Research on Cancer have declared UV radiation from the sun and artificial sources, such as tanning beds and sun lamps, a known carcinogen (cancer-causing substance).9
There is no safe way to tan. Every time you tan, you damage your skin. As this damage builds, you speed up the aging of your skin and increase your risk for all types of skin cancer.
Studies show sunscreen does not limit vitamin D absorption!
Skin cancer appears on the body in many different ways. It can look like a:
It can also show up in other ways.
To find skin cancer on your body, you don’t have to remember a long list. Dermatologists sum it up this way. It’s time to see a dermatologist if you notice a spot on your skin that:
A is for Asymmetry
One half of the spot is unlike the other half
B is for Border
The spot has an irregular, scalloped, or poorly defined border
C is for Color
The spot has varying colors from one area to the next, such as shades of tan, brown or black, or areas of white, red, or blue
D is for Diameter
While melanomas are usually greater than 6 millimeters, or about the size of a pencil eraser, when diagnosed, they can be smaller
E is for Evolving
The spot looks different from the rest or is changing in size, shape, or color
Go to aad.org and search:
There are other types of cancer so please check out the site for more! Skin cancer can be very tiny and metastasize before it grows. Check your skin!!
Use my QR code below to find my radio show /podcast/YouTube channel!!
And have a wonderful and safe and anti-aging summer!!!