Let me preface by saying I know this is quite a somber topic, and I love the great outdoors as much as anyone – maybe more than the average person. It’s impossible to avoid the sun. By all means, wear a good full spectrum sunscreen, and for those of us who grew up thinking baby oil and iodine was a good suntan lotion (yikes) the best thing you can do for yourself is have regular skin cancer screenings, and IMMEDIATELY get anything suspicious checked out! It saves lives. I know.
Skin cancer runs in my husband’s family. His grandfather died from melanoma back in the 1960’s. The technology for skin cancer treatments wasn’t even close to what it is today. My husband has had two bouts with melanoma in the last eight years – luckily, caught early. My son, at age 12, had a large mole that he was born with removed and that was verge of turning cancerous – this kid never had a sunburn in his life because I was always chasing him around with a bottle of sunscreen. Yesterday, my husband’s father, age 75, was diagnosed with basal cell skin cancer on his nose and will visit a plastic surgeon in the next few weeks to have it completely removed. Four direct generations.
The moral of this story is: don’t be afraid, get yourself in to see a dermatologist, family doctor, whatever, and have those suspicious little devils looked at! It may save your life.
Visit American Academy of Dermatology for professional information.
Skin Cancer also has good information.
