Skin Cancer Prevention for All

 

According to the Skin Cancer Foundation one in five Americans will develop skin cancer at some point in their life. In fact, skin cancer is the most prevalent form of cancer, beating breast, prostate, lung and colon cancer cases per year. In addition, it is estimated that 6,750 men and 3,380 women in the U.S. will die from melanoma in 2016. Skin cancer is an overwhelmingly common disease and can become even more serious if the proper steps are not taken. Below are basic steps for you and your family to take that can help protect you from skin cancer:

Ask a dermatologist today!

1. Protecting yourself from skin cancer doesn’t stop at applying sunscreen every few hours during the hot summer months. In reality, we should wear SPF 15 sunscreen to exposed skin every day of the year, and reapply every 2 hours on sunnier days.

2. Avoid tanning beds altogether. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation each year more than 419,000 cases in the U.S. are linked to indoor tanning. In fact, more people die from skin cancer caused by tanning than lung cancer caused by smoking.

3. Wear protective clothing when spending long periods of time in the sun. Sunscreen will only go so far, so it is recommended to stay in the shade as much as possible, and wear broad-rim hats and swim shirts when spending time at the beach.

4. According to First Derm up to 95% of skin cancer deaths are preventable with early detection and action. What does this mean? This means that we need to closely monitor moles and other lesions on our skin to make sure it does not turn into a serious issue. Talk to your dermatologist frequently and keep them updated on any changes in your skin. Here’s a link to a great tool that can be used to track and monitor potentially cancerous moles: https://firstderm.com/hud-dermatoscope-dermoscope-dermoscopy/

Ask a dermatologist today!

Sources:

http://www.skincancer.org/skin-cancer-information/skin-cancer-facts#indoor

Image courtesy of Roderick Eime