{Weekend Post} Skin Cancer Awareness Month

Today's post is about something very close to my heart. 

About 20 years ago, my maternal grandmother had a melanoma on her leg that she let go and did not have checked. She thought it was just a mole. After finally going to the doctor, she found it was malignant. The doctor suggested she have her lymph nodes removed. Years later, she still feels the results of this each day. With no lymph nodes in her legs, combined with her poor circulation, walking, getting dressed, and just general household tasks are painful for her and cause her legs to swell up. She also has trouble finding shoes to fit. Lately she's been dying for a pair of cowboy boots but can't find any to fit around the swelling in her leg.

My Uncle Larry had a melanoma on his arm and let it go too long without seeing a skin doctor. When he finally visited the doctor, the PA didn't cut the mole correctly when trying to collect it for a biopsy and the cancerous cells flooded his blood stream. 

He passed away in February of 2004. 

May is Skin Cancer Awareness month. 

About two million people each year are diagnosed with sin cancer. 

It is the most common form of cancer in the United States, effecting one in five Americans. 

I think that this is a result of two things: Misinformation & obsession with tanning/being tan.

To address the issue of misinformation about skin cancer, lets talk facts:

• Over the past three decades, more people have had skin cancer than all other cancers combined. 
• Basal cell carcinoma is the most common form of skin cancer; an estimated 2.8 million are diagnosed annually in the US. BCCs are rarely fatal, but can be highly disfiguring.
• Melanomas are less common than BCCs but usually fatal.
• One person dies of melanoma every hour. 
• Risk for melanoma is doubled with five or more sunburns.
• One or more blistering sunburns in childhood or adolescence more than double a person’s chances of developing melanoma later in life.
• Just one indoor tanning session increases users’ chances of developing melanoma by 20 percent.
• While melanoma is uncommon in African Americans, Latinos, and Asians, it is frequently fatal for these populations.

Skin cancer can affect anyone. 

It doesn't matter if you're a ginger like me, and get sunburned really easily, or if you have very dark skin and never get sunburned. Skin cancer doesn't care it you're young or old, rich or poor, Caucasian or African American, etc.

Even celebrities can be affected. Hugh Jackman just had a BCC removed for the second time. He posted this photo to his Instagram, along with this plea to his followers "PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE! WEAR SUNSCREEN!" Even a band-aid can't bring down that gorgeous face. He's a total, skin cancer activist BABE who adores his wife more than any thing on the planet. Okay...gushing done.

Now to address the obsession side of this...

Be forewarned, the rest of this post is mostly my opinion. I hope it doesn't offend, but it is my opinion. You don't have to listen, or take this advice with anything more than a grain of salt. You do whatever works for your life. I do some not-so-healthy things too {kripsy kreme doughnuts, not working out, drinking alcohol, etc.}
 

I used to hate my fair skin. I was always picked on for being so pale. I lived on a island for six years of my life, where laying out on the beach with friends was just what you did. I would, of course go and lay out, and burn to a crisp every time. When high school rolled around, not only were my friends laying out on the beach, but they began going to tanning beds. Thank goodness peer pressure never grabbed hold of me and I never went to a tanning bed. But I still wanted to be tan. I was obsessed with it. I envied people who were naturally dark or who could actually build a tan. I was either white or red. 

I'm really happy to see our society beginning to accept all shades of beauty. I do remember the tanning obsession with my friends, but I also remember seeing it in all of the beauty magazines and I remember the golden skin all of the celebrities. 

I've since learned to love my fair skin and freckles. But I'm still obsessed with bronzed skin. My fiance has the most perfect cappuccino skin. It only takes a few minutes in the sun for him to have a tan line. He never gets sunburned. I'm literally fuming with jealousy just thinking about it. I guess the best I can hope for it that my children will have perfect golden skin and I can just live vicariously through them. 

If I could go back, I would have been so much more careful with my skin. I would have lathered up with every beach trip. But unfortunately, there is no going back. We can only move forward...

Protect Yourself!

To quote a favorite blogger of mine, Esthetician Babe, "skin cancer is largely a lifestyle disease". You can do something to decrease your chances of getting skin cancer.

-Wear sunscreen EVERYDAY!...not just when you go to the beach or the pool. Everyday, y'all.  Put some on your face underneath your makeup ladies, and if you're wearing shorts or a short sleeve shirt, put sunscreen on exposed areas. For everyday use, find a good SPF 15 or higher. I like the ones made for babies because they usually contain less harsh chemicals and I have really sensitive skin. Just use it as, or mix it with, your daily lotion. Click here for a list of the brands endorsed by the Skin Cancer Foundation. 

This 69 year old truck driver is a great example of why one should wear SPF every day. He has severe aging on the side of his face that was exposed to the sun through the window of his delivery truck. The same can happen with your arms.

-Please, I beg of you, don't go to the tanning bed. That's so Jersey Shore 2009. I really hate those things. Studies have shown that they can literally be addictive, and it can weaken your immune system. Your eyes can suffer too, you can contract pink eye from tanning beds, and the UV rays can cause cataracts. Plus think of all the GERMS in those things-can you say staph infection?? Even one visit can increase your chances of getting skin cancer. 
Don't slowly kill yourself in a ultra-violet coffin. Just don't, please. Please. 

There are alternatives to tanning beds and/or laying out. There are plenty of good sunless tanners out there. I love the Jergens Natural Glow. They've recently put one out that also has skin firming elements so it pulls double duty. But there are tons of good brands. St. Tropez is a little higher priced but I've heard great things about it. Also, spray tans have been around long enough that they're really working out the kinks and they're getting really good at making you look natural and not like you rolled in Cheetos dust.

-No gel manicures! I have recently read some research, and confirmed with my dermatologist that gel manicures may give you skin cancer. BUMMER! That was my special bi-monthly treat, especially after I got engaged. But I have since sworn off. Even one time can have the same effects as repeated use. In the spirit of full disclosure, I will probably get one more for my wedding, but then I'll be done forever. One of those little things I really miss but it is not worth jeopardizing my health and my life for pretty nails all the time. For now, I'm trying to enjoy DIY manis as often as I deem necessary. It's easier on my wallet too.

-This summer, while you're on the beach or at the pool, don't let yourself burn. Reapply every time you get in the water and/or every hour or so.  For days like this, where you're in the sun for extended periods of time, use an SPF of 30 or higher. Cover up! I love to wear oxfords at the beach. They're cool and light, so you don't overheat, and super classic. And a big ole hat and big ole sunglasses-Your eyes need protecting too. 

I like to cover up y'all. This is how I beach. Gingers gotta do what gingers gotta do.

Lastly, open your ears and listen really well... 

GO TO THE DERMATOLOGIST. 

My uncle, of whom I spoke earlier, thought dermatologists were quacks. Some of them are. But you need to keep an eye on your skin and you need to see a dermatologist once a year {or more often, if you have a history of skin cancer in your family}. Just like with breast cancer, self-check and pay attention to your body. If you have moles, keep sunscreen on them and watch them for any changes. If you see changes in the mole, go to a doctor. They will know if it needs a biopsy or if it's something to watch, or if there's nothing at all to worry about. Peace of mind is worth the trip.

Tanned skin is beautiful, I will not argue with you about that. But there's nothing sexy about skin cancer. Sun exposure speeds up the aging process. In fact, more than 90% of the visible changes commonly attributed to skin aging are caused by the sun. So if you're using anti-aging creams but not a daily SPF, you're just wasting your time and money {for real, those things are expensive}. 

I haven't always loved my fair skin, but I really do now. My fiance also really loves my fair skin and freckles {which is a big part of why I'm choosing not to tan for my wedding}.
There are even a few celebrities for us pale people to look up to nowadays.

My soul sister, Zooey Deschanel, just owning that gorgeous porcelain skin.

This is yet another opportunity for us to be fantastic beauty role models for the younger women {or even women older than us} in our lives. It's really important, above all, to take care of ourselves. Your body is a temple, and lathering up and making choices to protect your skin, though it may not always be the "in" thing, is one of many ways to cherish it.


 Love the skin you're in. 

Information from this post found on The Skin Cancer Foundation website. 

Follow @SkinCancerOrg on Twitter