7 Ways To Prevent Melanoma This Summer by Maria Dorfner

Remember, even though you look better tanned, it’s the opposite of healthy skin.  Here’s how to protect your skin:

1.  AVOID TANNING BOOTHS

Obvious, but teens & adults still frequent tanning booths.  They can be just as dangerous as arsenic, asbetos and cigarettes.

2.  AVOID THE SUN BETWEEN 10 A.M. AND 4 P.M.

3.  USE SUNSCREEN

The SPF should be at least 15. Reapply every 2 hours to ALL exposed areas of skin. Reapply MORE often if you swim or sweat.

4. WEAR A HAT

A wide brim hat is better than a baseball cap.  If you drive a convertible, protect yourself.

5.  COVER UP

Dark covered clothes reflect UV rays best.  Cover your arms and legs in tightly woven clothes.

6.  BE CAUTIOUS ON CLOUDY DAYS AS SUN’S UV RAYS PENETRATE CLOUDS

The sun’s UV rays on a cloudy day can even affect your skin under a beach umbrella. Use all the tips here, sun or clouds.

7.  SEE YOUR DERMATOLOGIST TO GET ANY EXISTING MOLES CHECKED

Make sure those cute freckles are just that.  Get a clean skin bill of health at the start of summer. Then, protect yourself.  If you need a recommendation to a good one, contact us.  Be sure to protect little kids and babies too!

Melanoma is the deadliest type of skin cancer.  It develops in the cells of your skin that produce melanin, the pigment that gives your skin its color.  Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays from tanning beds or the sun increases your risk. When untreated, the melanoma can travel throughout the body, attack organs and be fatal.  That’s NOT hot.

You are at even greater risk if you have a history of sunbruns, many moles, a family history of melanoma, are blond, red headed, fair skinned, light eyed, although people with dark skin are not immune.

If found early, melanoma is curable.  Check your skin and your partner’s skin regularly.

Remember the A, B, C, D of suspicious, potentially cancerous moles:

ASYMMETRICAL – Two halves of the mole do not match

BORDERS – The edges of the mole are not even or smooth

COLOR – The mole has multiple shades or colors

DIAMETER – Cancerous moles are larger than an eraser on a pencil

EVOLVING – The mole is changing shape, color, growing, itching or bleeding

If you find a suspicious one take a photo. Then, take another photo 2 months later, and see if it’s changed. If so, see a Dermatologist immediately.

PROTECT YOURSELF SO YOU CAN HAVE FUN IN THE SUN.

Related articles

• Importance of Sunscreen and SPF (clarinsusa.com)
• Don’t Get Burned This Summer: Sun Safety Tips From AA County Health Department (southriversource.com)
• Why you could be at risk of skin cancer (pinkandblack-magazine.com)
• New Melanoma Test Sniffs Out Skin Cancer Based On Odour Alone (gizmodo.com.au)
• New technology finds melanoma without biopsy (wfaa.com)
• Oregon Woman Tans Her Way to a Melanoma Diagnosis (news.health.com)
• Ex-Journey Singer Steve Perry Has Melanoma Mole Removed After Losing Girlfriend to Cancer [PHOTOS] (medicaldaily.com)
• New technology finds melanoma without biopsy (kens5.com)

MedCrunch is a division of Healthy Within Network (HWN) founded by Maria Dorfner.  Health tips? Health stories?
Contact: maria.dorfner@yahoo.com

STAY HEALTHY, EVERYONE! 🙂