restoring jane: skin cancer

I love the sun.

I love to play in the sun.

I love to watch my children play in the sun.

I love to watch my son play baseball. All 9 innings.

I love to watch my other son play soccer. All 1.5 hours, IF he’s playing just one game.

I love to watch my daughter play. She dresses up and heads for our back porch, her world stage.

A woman in my community, in her mid-fifties, was diagnosed with melanoma and was given three months to live. The primary lesion was never found. Three months. Ninety days. More than 2 million skin cancers are diagnosed each year in the United States, more than cancers of the prostate, breast, lung, colon, uterus, ovaries, and pancreas combined.  One in five Americans will develop skin cancer in his or her lifetime.  Still, the tanning businesses here continue to thrive.

Recently, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a World Health Organization (WHO) agency, did a comprehensive review of current research and found that there is a 75% increased risk of melanoma in those who begin using tanning beds before the age of 30, and an increased risk of melanoma of the eye. Melanoma of the eye accounts for less than 5% of skin cancer cases, but causes a large majority of skin cancer deaths. The IARC elevated the use of tanning beds to its highest cancer risk category,  to Group 1, “carcinogenic to humans”. They were previously classified as “probably carcinogenic to humans”.

And even if you don’t using tanning beds {kudos to you, by the way!}, you are exposed to damaging UV rays daily, any time you are outside and even times when you are driving in your car. Even brief sun exposures all year round can add up to skin damage.

Sun-Safe Tips:

1. Use a palmful of sunscreen and reapply at least every 2 hours, and even more often if you are swimming or sweating. Pay special attention to the tops of ears, tops of feet, any parts in hair, and the back of necks. {I’ve had 2 friends who run -in ponytails- find skin cancer on the back of their necks, because they never thought to cover this area when running!} Apply 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) to your entire body 30 mins before going out. Reapply every 2 hours.

2. Seek shade and limit your time in the sun at midday. Cover up with a shirt and wear a wide-brimmed hat. Don’t forget sunglasses to protect your eyes, preferably, a pair of wrap-around sunglasses with at least 99% UV absorption to block damaging UVA and UVB light.

3. UV rays are most intense during the middle of the day, usually between the hours of 10 am and 4 pm. It’s best to plan your outdoor activities outside that time-frame, if possible.

*****

Take control of your own health. Be empowered. Perform a monthly self-exam. Early detection and early treatment yield the most effective treatment. During your self-exam, look for changes in size, shape, texture and color of any blemishes that you find. This is best done in a well-lit room in front of a full-length mirror. Use a hand-held mirror or a spouse or close family member for hard-to-see areas. The first time you inspect your skin, take the time and look carefully. Study the patterns of moles, freckles, blemishes, and other marks on your skin so that you will notice if any of these change upon subsequent exams. If you find anything that is concerning, contact your physician for an exam. You can also photograph blemishes so that you can note changes unpon the next exam. Any thing that looks new, different, changing or wounds that don’t heal, should be seen by a doctor as soon as possible. Your monthly exams should be followed be an annual exam by a dermatologist. And did you know? During your annual visit with your Family Practice Physician, or with your OBGYN, you can request a visual skin exam (for your physician to visually inspect your for marks/lesions).

Monthly Self-Exams:

1.  Face a mirror. Check face, ears (including tops and behind using a second mirror if necessary), neck, chest (lift breasts if necessary), and abdomen.

2.  Check under arms, both sides of arms, tops & bottoms of hands, inbetween fingers, and nailbeds.

3.  Sit down. Check front of thighs, shins, tops of feet and in between  toes, and toenail beds.

You will need a hand mirror for the following.

4.  Look at the bottoms of feet, calves, backs of thighs, first checking one leg fully, and then the other.

5.  Check buttocks, genital area, lower back, upper back, and back of neck, being diligent around the hair line. This step might be easier using a wall mirror and the hand mirror.

6.  Use a comb or hair dryer to part hair so that you can check scalp.

Check out these websites for more information on staying Sun-Safe:

www.cancer.org/sunsafety

Skin Cancer Prevention and Early Detection.

*****

But Dahling, I vant to LOOK good!

I know, I know! No one wants to walk around with zinc oxide on their noses and covered head to toe on the beach. Here are some fashionable alternatives {from some of my favorite places!} (click on company name for link):

Athleta

Title Nine

Coolibar

Victoria’s Secret

{This one, you have to be selective. Some of their cover-ups don’t cover-up much!}

But this is to prove that there is something out there for everyone, no matter what your style preference.

And if you like the tan look {I’m from the generation that was taught “Tans look healthy“}, try self-tanning bronzers, cremes and lotions, or air-brushing. How’s this statistic for those of you craving youthful-looking skin: 90% of visible changes commonly attributed to aging are caused by the sun.

*****

Wear sunscreen.

Cover up.

Just do it. Fair is in.

{So is living.}

*****

DOUBLE-DOG DARE:

Perform monthly self-exams and be alert to changes in your skin. Wear a moisturizer with sunscreen in it, and apply daily. And wear a lip balm/moisturizer/gloss with SPF 15 or higher daily and reapply frequently. Commit to being sun-safe this summer. Remember, you are setting the example for your kids, too. If it’s ‘normal’ for you to apply sunscreen before going out everyday, they will think of it that way, too.