Walk on the Sunny Side of the Street, and Have No Fear of the Sun
Love the sun but want to be safe? Good! That?s smart! There?s nothing wrong with the sun, in fact, when asked, the best dermatologist recommends we get 20 minutes of direct sunlight daylight for the natural vitamin D (none of us wants osteoporosis, do we? No.), but, like everything else, too much of a good thing is just that, too much.
While the sun is not your enemy, it is still true that current estimates predict that one in five Americans will develop skin cancer at some point in their life; that?s 20%
of all Americans! And you have a greatly increased risk of developing skin cancer if you have large moles or skin tags, atypical moles, or more than 50 moles. Luckily, 3.5 million benign skin cancers are diagnosed in the United States annually in over 2 million people. It?s still skin cancer, and you still need to see a dermatologist specialist, but non-melanoma cancer is far better than malignant.
There are things you can do to prevent melanoma, and the best dermatologist for your condition will answer your questions about skin cancer treatment methods and skin cancer treatment cost. But before we get to treatment, lets see what we can do prevention-wise.
Protect Your Skin!
Here are some basics when spending time in the sun:
- Your eyes ? over time, the sun?s rays can seriously damage the eyes and surrounding skin, sometimes leading to vision loss and conditions from cataracts and macular degeneration to eye and eyelid cancers. Here are easy steps to protecting them:
?wear sunglasses that absorb/block UV offer strong defense against eye and eyelid damage
?wear a hat with at least a 3? brim, that can block up to half of all UVB rays from your eyes and eyelids
? hats and glasses do not cover your entire face, so sunscreen is also very important when spending extended periods in the sun - Skin cancer foundation prevention guidelines:
? wear 15 spf sun block or higher
? apply 1 ounce of sunscreen to your entire body half an hour before exposure to the sun, reapply every two hours or immediately after swimming or excessively sweating
? stay in the shade, especially from 10AM to 4PM
? see your dermatology specialist every year for an exam - Protective clothing is our first line of defense agains the sun?s harmful rays:
? it seems counter intuitive, due to the heat, but the darker the color and tighter the weave of the fabric the more sun protection provided
?obviously, as previously mentioned, a hat can provide protection for the face and eyes
Don?t shrink from the sun; enjoy yourself and all the activities you love, but protect yourself and never hesitate to reach out to your local specialist with dermatologist questions. If you ever find raised brown spots on your skin, contact the best dermatologist you can find and make an appointment to ascertain they?re not melanomas, and if they are, what your choices of skin cancer treatments are.
Remember, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
