Protecting yourself from skin cancer through early
detection and UV protection
Why do it
Skin Cancer is the most common form of
cancer known to man. It can be as equally deadly to teens as it
can be to older people. Malignant melanoma, the most deadly form
of skin cancer was found in 40,000 people in 1997 and resulted in
7300 deaths. Once again early detection is the key.
When to do it
Start now and do it once a month.
How to do it
Get naked and stand in front of a full length
mirror. Examine your skin from head to toe. Look for moles and other
discolorations. (Moles are areas of skin packed full of the skin
pigment melanin.) If the mole has a regular shape, a smooth boundary,
and is a consistent dark brown in color, you have nothing to worry
about. If you notice the mole is growing, is changing in color,
has an irregular boundary, or has several different hues (from black
to bluish for example) see your doctor immediately. These could
be signs that the mole is actually skin cancer.
Skin Cancer Risk Groups:
Fair skin, light hair and light eye color. Whites have a 20% greater
risk of skin cancer than do blacks. However no one is safe. Those
with a family history of melanoma Those with irregular, growing
moles Those who subject themselves to painful or blistering sunburn
during youth Those who work or play outdoors for prolonged periods
of time
Avoiding Skin Cancer
Overexposure to the sun accelerates the aging process, and can cause
deadly skin cancer. The way you treat your skin now, is crucial
to its health in your early twenties and on. The elastic fibers
in your skin normally keep the skin soft, young and healthy. Sun
destroys these fibers, causing skin to become highly wrinkled, saggy,
hard and leathery as early as your twenties. Someone who suntans
regularly can easily look 70 by the time they turn 30. Tanned skin
is essentially damaged skin. Skin damaged by the sun can also develop
skin cancer resulting in death by the early twenties. Tanning salons
are death camps. Tans obtained from tanning beds or sun lamps look
completely unnatural anyway. Remember, what looks good on a person
of one race might look ridiculous on a person of another. Fair skin
that is soft and healthy is absolutely beautiful. If you burn yourself
to get color, you are sabotaging the natural beauty of your skin.
It only takes some people 10 minutes to get
sunburn.
If you want to enjoy your summer or snow activities in winter, follow
these guidelines whenever you plan to spend a significant amount
of time outsideÉ
Everyone should use a sunscreen with an SPF
of at least 15. Cover every spot on your
body that will be exposed. Your nose, ears, lips, knees and shoulders
burn the fastest because their surface faces up toward the sky.
Use a sunscreen chap stick on your lips. Make sure to double dose
your nose since itŐs the most common place for skin cancer.
Clouds are no protection. Use sunscreen in
any weather.
Reapply the sunscreen throughout the day,
because sweat causes sunscreen to wear off. It is especially important
to reapply sunscreen before and after swimming, since wet skin is
more receptive to ultraviolet rays.
Do not suntan between 10am and 2pm.
You might as well watch a nuclear bomb explode.
Apply sunscreen under clothes that donŐt fully
block the sun. If youŐre wearing a tight
loosely-woven article of clothing, make sure to rub sunscreen into
the skin underneath it, since these types of clothes donŐt block
diddlysquat.
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