It is getting sunny out there!! When the weather turns nice we can’t help but to be drawn outside. With being outside comes allergies for those of us in Oklahoma and sometimes sunburns! Ouch! April is the national skin cancer awareness month. So I wanted to take a second and encourage all of you to wear sunscreen! There are so many different types and brands out there that you are sure to find one that works best for you! It may save your life one day!
According to the CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States.” I’ve attached their website for you all to browse to get more educated on how to protect ourselves! https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/dcpc/resources/features/skincancer/ and you can also check out https://www.skincancer.org/
According to The Skin Cancer Foundation, “1 in 5 Americans will develop skin cancer in a lifetime”.
There are several different types of skin cancers:
Actinic Keratosis
Basal Cell Carcinoma
Dysplastic Nevi
Melanoma
Squamous Cell Carinoma
You can find out more information for each type at https://www.skincancer.org/
Prevention is key! The best ways to help prevent and protect yourself is to be in a shaded area from 10-4 during the day. Avoid tanning beds! Tan skin is not healthy skin.
Cover up, make sure you are wearing loose-fitting clothing, sunglasses and a hat. Wear sunscreen and reapply generously throughout your time in the sun. Also examine your skin or go see a physician who can help identify early signs.
I exercise a lot outside in the spring and summer and I make it a point to always have sunscreen and a hat in my car! You never know where you will be and what you will need. Shoot,we went to brunch the other day and it wasn’t super warm out but pleasant and after about 15 minutes I went and got that hat and my sunscreen because I knew this winter pale skin was going to get burnt!
I totally get wanting to be tan. It feels good, it looks good and I hear people all the time say, “tan fat is better than white fat” and I believe it but really think is it all worth it? There are a lot of different types of sunless tanners out there and professionals that can do a great spray tan! I get spray tans all the time! I love it! I do it all summer too!! Try out different brands and products, see what you like best but it is for sure a healthier option than a tanning bed or just baking in the harmful rays of summer!
