Protecting yourself from skin cancer

When I was a kid growing up on a small family farm in Tennessee; skin care and protecting myself from skin cancer was the farthest thing on my mind.  I was more concerned about having that deep, dark, bronze tan and usually spent most of the summer in shorts and sneakers without a shirt whenever I was outside.  I would spend hours cutting, raking, and baling hay for the small herd of cattle that we kept to sell and use for beef and if I didn't think I was getting a dark enough tan would use tanning oils or baby oil to enhance the effect.  I was never told about these risk factors for skin cancer: my comments in parentheses

• Having fair skin, red or blond hair (not me)
• Having light-colored eyes (green eyes)
• Sunburning easily (didn't burn easily as a child....literally tanned in the sun but did have some bad burns)
• Having many moles, freckles or birthmarks (covered in freckles as a little boy)
• Working or playing outside (duh....working on a farm, marching in high school and college band)
• Being in the sun a lot as a child (again grew up on a farm...hay, vegetable gardens, yada, yada, yada)
• Having had a serious sunburn (one or two bad burns over the course of my life)
• Having had skin cancer, or having family members who have had skin cancer (not until recently)
• Tanning in the sun or with a sunlamp (did that a lot in the past 10 years....)

What is that old adage, "hindsight is 20/20". Well in my case it certainly is just that 20/20.  Would I have done anything differently?  Probably not, but who knows at this point.  All I do know is that I have been diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma and will be having two more spots biopsied Thursday of this week after the doctor digs around in my shoulder for a few minutes until she is comfortable that she has removed all of the bad cells at that location.

Can you prevent or minimize your chances of getting skin cancer?  ABSOLUTELY!!!  Here are some of the best known ways to reduce your risk:

• Stay our of the sun if you can, especially from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., when the sun's rays are the strongest.
• STOP using tanning booths or sunlamps...while they make you feel good they are destroying your skin!
• Put on protective clothing and a hat whenever you go outside. Keep those hands and arms protected while driving!  Keep some sunscreen in your car for those long trips or wear long sleeves.
• Wear sunglasses that wrap and are rated to block at least 99% of UVA sunlight.
• Do a complete body map and check your skin every month for signs of skin cancer. Check back tomorrow for a guide to self exams.
• Do not be afraid to ask your doctor if something looks different or a new place appears! 
• USE SUN SCREEN OF 15 SPF OR  HIGHER ALL OF THE TIME!

So, even though it is fun to get a deep dark tan and it gives us all a great sense of self worth it can potentially be bad for you.  In my case, I guess it really was bad for me.  If you have one or more of the risk factors listed above then please consider taking some of the precautions listed.

Come back tomorrow for quick and easy self exam methods and then later this week for some reviews of popular sun screen products.

Thanks for reading!