Skin cancer is becoming more of a threat to people around the world. In the United States alone, new skin cancer cases are happening more often than the combined instances of breast, lung, colon, and prostate cancers.1 In fact, 20% of the American population will experience skin cancer at some point in their lives. Since 1980, more people have contracted skin cancer than all other types of cancer put together.
Obviously, skin cancer is a major threat to people. Therefore, it makes sense to do all that you can to lower your risk of getting skin cancer. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to significantly lower your risk of skin cancer occurring at some point in your future.
Doing All You Can To Avoid Prolonged Exposure To Sunlight
Sunlight is a major detriment to your skin. While many people talk about the benefits of getting Vitamin D and of having a “healthy glow” from a tan, the fact of the matter is that suntans are actually damaged skin cells, not a sign of health and beauty.2 Therefore, do not believe the hype and misconception that the sun is actually good for your skin – it’s not.
Therefore, you need to do all that you can to avoid prolonged exposure to the sun. Fortunately, there are several effective ways to limit your skin’s exposure to the sun’s harmful ultraviolet radiation that cause this skin damage.
Using the Proper Sunscreen Effectively
More and more people are using sunscreen, as they are starting to learn about the threat of skin cancer. However, more and more Americans are getting sunburns today than ever before. Even worse, skin cancer rates continue to climb. Why is this?
The main reason is because many people do not know how to use sunscreen effectively. Most people think that applying a very small amount once per day in the morning will last the entire day to give the adequate protection they need from the sun’s rays.
The truth of the matter is that you need to apply a generous amount of sunscreen over your entire body in order for it to receive the adequate protection it needs. Experts say that you need to apply an ounce of sunscreen (approximately the size of a shot glass) to your body every two hours, as the protection wears off over the course of the day. And, if you sweat profusely or are constantly in and out of a pool or lake, you should apply the sunscreen every hour.2
Another thing you should do is that you should wear protective clothing and equipment to protect yourself from the sun’s harmful rays. This means you should be wearing long-sleeved clothing to protect your skin whenever possible and sunglasses with UV filters to protect your eyes, which are also susceptible to damage from the sun’s rays. Certainly, wearing long-sleeved clothing is not the usual attire at a beach or poolside, but as often as possible, you need to cover up as much skin as possible to protect you skin from the sun.
Avoiding Tanning Beds and Sun Lamps
Many people think that tanning beds and sun lamps are safe alternatives to tanning in direct sunlight. This is not the case, as melanoma and squamous cell skin cancer have been linked to people who regularly use these devices to give themselves suntans.4 Therefore, you should avoid using these at all to improve your chances of avoiding skin cancer in your future.
Giving Yourself Skin Self-Examinations
Some people may think that this is an extreme step, but the fact of the matter is is that detecting skin cancer lesions, such as actinic keratoses, early can greatly improve your chances of surviving skin cancer and dealing with fewer complications from it. In addition, regularly checking your skin is not hard to do – you just need to keep a lookout for any suspicious-looking moles or growths on your skin that were not present or looked differently in the past. Finding either of these should lead to you visiting your doctor to allow him or her to examine to see if these moles or growths are cancerous and what steps to take to ensure your short-term and long-term health.
Being Aware of Your Family History in Regards to Skin Cancer
You should definitely become more aware of your family history when it comes to whether anyone in your family has had skin cancer in the past or not. If there is the presence of skin cancer in your immediate family line (i.e. one or both of your parents or a sibling), you are more likely to experience skin cancer at some point in the future.4 Knowing that your risk for skin cancer is higher than most people should make you even more aware of what you need to do to protect yourself from the damaging rays of the sun to decrease your chances of contracting skin cancer as much as possible.
Taking Specific Steps to Reduce Your Skin Cancer Risk Can Benefit Your Health
You may think that there is nothing you can do to stop skin cancer from striking you at some point in your life, especially if you’ve had several suntans or sunburns in the past. However, there are specific steps you can take to minimize your risk of contracting skin cancer in the future or reducing the complications from skin cancer if you do contract it. By acting decisively to minimize your skin’s sun exposure, avoiding tanning beds, examining your skin regularly, and knowing your family’s history of skin cancer, you can increase the chances that you will either avoid skin cancer altogether or reduce the impacts of skin cancer on your life.
References
1 Skin Cancer. (2011). American Academy of Dermatology. Retrieved from: www.aad.org/media-resources/stats-and-facts/conditions/skin-cancer
2 Not All Sunscreens Are Created Equal: NPR.(2007, June 21). National Public Radio: www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11255905
3 Skin cancer Risk factors – MayoClinic.com. (2010, August 18). From the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research: www.mayoclinic.com/health/skin-cancer/DS00190/DSECTION=risk-factors
4 Ibid
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