Utilizing proper skin cancer prevention measures not only keeps your skin healthy, but it also preserves its youthful effervescence. Here are 6 protection tips.
Do you want healthy and younger looking skin?
You’re not alone! We all want to preserve our youthful glow and more importantly, we want to keep our skin cancer free and healthy.
Unfortunately, skin cancer is on the rise with about 9,500 people in the U.S. being diagnosed with the disease every day.
You can avoid becoming part of this statistic by following prevention measures to protect your skin and avoid over-exposure to the sun. Not only will this keep you healthy, but it will also keep your skin looking young since you’ll be steering clear of damaging effects.
6 Skin Cancer Protection Tips!
1. Get Checked
This is a purely health-related precaution but it’s an important one. An annual visit to your dermatologist for a body scan can be the most powerful step in catching any irregular moles or marks.
Your insurance should cover this yearly checkup but if it doesn’t you can always consider one of the Medicare supplement plans available to help you access more thorough coverage.
Your doctor will be able to check you from head to toe and remove anything that could look suspicious. Removing any irregular moles as soon as they’re caught can prevent them from growing or getting worse.
While you should also self-check throughout the year and keep an eye on any changing marks on your body, it can be difficult for you to spot something dangerous. If you aren’t trained in what to look for, it may be missed.
2. Wear Sunscreen
Wear it if it’s cloudy. Wear it if it’s cold out. Wear it even if you think the sun can’t get to you.
Applying sunscreen every day is perhaps the best way to prevent sun damage and skin cancer. It’s also a way to keep your skin looking young. Sun damage can also mean wrinkles, premature aging, and sunspots.
Sunscreen can help to prevent all of these. But you have to be sure to reapply often otherwise it can’t do its job.
If you plan to be in the water or a do an activity outdoors where you’ll sweat, you need to be sure to reapply your sunscreen every 20-30 minutes. Even if it’s water-proof, if the UV index is high and you’re exposed to water or sweat, it will wear off quickly.
For everyday use that doesn’t involve water sports or heavy outdoor activity, you should still reapply every 2 hours. That may seem like a lot but the reality is that the chemicals that protect you from the sun only stay active on the skin for a few hours at a time.
You should take your sunscreen with you when you leave for the day. If you’re concerned about reapplying over makeup, consider a mineral sunscreen that comes in brush form.
You can brush it over the skin like you’re applying loose powder. It’s transparent so you won’t even be able to see it but it will keep you protected.
3. Avoid Sunbathing
When summer rolls around and you head to the beach or pool it can be very tempting to get a little bronze. Even though you apply sunscreen, sitting out directly in the sun afterward can still have damaging effects.
Sunscreen can’t protect you from all the UV damage, especially wrinkles and sunspots if you’re spending time indirect exposure.
4. Skip the Tanning Booth
There’s a reason spray tans and self-tanners have become so popular over the last few years. Many people now know better than to hit the tanning bed but some are just so into a golden glow, they can’t help themselves.
A tanning booth is some of the worst kind of UV exposure you can receive. For starters, most people using one will opt out of sunscreen altogether so they get the most color on their skin.
The radiation you receive from the bed is often times worse than what you would be exposed to if you were tanning outdoors. When in the bed, you are essentially damaging every part of your skin at once.
This kind of exposure is what causes early wrinkles and that leathery look people who spend too much time in the sun often get. You’re also at a greater risk of cancer when spending time in a machine like this because you have no protection whatsoever.
5. Keep Those Clothes On
If you can keep some layers on to cover the skin, do so. Clothes that cover a good portion of your body will help prevent sun damage.
Be cautious about what clothing you’re selecting. A thin layer where the sun can peak through will still leave you in danger to possible damage.
Many companies now make clothing with UPF or an Ultraviolet Protection Factor and these garments can help you stay safe when hanging out in the sun. The most common items you’ll see are wide-brimmed hats that cover the back of the neck and long-sleeved shirts.
6. Consider Your Car
This is one place where we spend a ton of time and sun exposure can be unknowingly hitting you from several directions.
If you have a daily commute to and from work or spend a significant amount of time driving, you’ll want to protect yourself while in your car.
Invest in some UV protected sunglasses to protect your eyes. Keep that mineral sunscreen brush in your glove compartment and reapply regularly. Be sure to cover not only your face and neck but your hands and forearms.
Those areas of your body are getting more sun exposure than usual because your hands are up on the wheel, closer to the windshield and windows than the other part of your skin.
You can even buy protective gloves and scarves these days to keep in the car and wear while driving to further protect yourself.
Follow These Prevention Measures Today
With the tips above, you can begin to take the proper prevention measures to effectively protect your skin from cancer and damage.
You can’t be too careful when it comes to protecting your skin. Be sure to wear sunscreen regularly and do your best to stay out of the sun. And don’t forget to get checked by your doctor!
Keep your skin youthful, glowing and most importantly, healthy.
Be sure to check out the beauty section of the blog for more skin tips!
