I stress the importance of protecting our kids from the sun so they can grow up healthy and safe and still enjoy all of the benefits of living life outdoors.
But what about us?! Is it too late for us?!
The answer is OF COURSE NOT! I know I've had my share of sunburns but I've also gotten a little wiser and decided I don't want to put myself more at risk. Even getting a tan can damage our cells and each burn increases our risk for melanoma.
Sunscreen is good but we don't apply enough of it and we don't apply it often enough. Do you know the instructions to reapply? Because I don't . . . until I'm red. But the kids are covered so I'm good right?
We can make sure we protect ourselves so we don't need to deal with a preventable cancer in our lifetime. We can also stay proactive by getting any questionable spots checked out by a healthcare professional. If you're not sold on consistently protecting yourself, just think of the age spots and wrinkles you'll have and look much older than you are, just because you didn't protect yourself from the sun. Wasn't there something online that said your 40s is when your friends can look 30 or 60. I bet the age 60 looking friends that are 40 didn't use sunscreen.
Below is a list to be proactive to catch any abnormalities early (even with the sun damage we already have). Maybe it's because I'm a bit older, or maybe it's because I binge watched Firefly Lane last week, but either way life is short and we need to keep ourselves healthy for our kids!
There is something called the ABCDE's of skin cancer that you can check yourself, so I'll break them down for you:
Asymmetry: one half doesn't match the other half.
Border irregularity: the edges are ragged or blurred.
Colour: the pigmentation isn't all the same colour and shade.
Diameter: it is greater than 6 mm (a pencil eraser)
Evolution: it changes size, shape, colour, or anything really.
If there's any spots you want to monitor, I find the easiest way is to take a picture with a ruler beside the spot your questioning. So you can monitor yourself and always ask a health care professional if your unsure! Skin cancer is a preventable one.
ABCDE's of skin cancer source: https://myhealth.alberta.ca/Health/Pages/conditions.aspx?hwid=aa78799