Skin cancer awareness...

Hello beautiful people!

Hope you all are doing great and enjoying the heat. With May, full fledged summer is here and yes I am hating it.

To everyone there is a season and for me it is winter. I love duvets, cardigans , soups, hot coffee, blanket on sofa while watching endless episodes of TV serials.

There are sooo many reasons why I Love winter but there are only two reason for not liking summer and these are Sweating and the damage to skin caused by sun (not that sun doesn't affect our skin in winters but the level of damage is very high in summer).

Since the months of heat are here I decided to search and make a proper skin care routine for this season. While searching I found that May is the month of Skin Cancer Awareness ( I didn't have a slight idea that such a thing exist).

Well! So I did a little research on the topic and then decided to also share a few things with my readers that I came to know about skin cancer and what we can do to protect us from this deadly disease.

There are many forms of skin cancer with difficult names like melanoma, carcinoma, neuroendocrine carcinoma etc. I don’t know what are the differences in all these, what causes them, or what are their symptoms but I have just gathered a few basics which we all need to know so that we can at least do something for our protection.

First thing first: What can cause skin cancer?:

1-       Sunlight:  Sunlight is a source of UV radiation. It’s the most important risk factor for any type of skin cancer

2-       Personal history: People who have had at least one severe blistering sunburn are at increased risk of skin cancer.

3-       Family history: Having two or more close relatives (mother, father, sister, brother, or child) who have had this disease is a risk factor for developing skin cancer.

4-        Skin that burns easily: Having fair (pale) skin that burns in the sun easily, blue or gray eyes, red or blond hair, or many freckles increases the risk of skin cancer.

5-       Certain medical conditions or medicines: Medical conditions or medicines (such as some antibiotics, hormones, or antidepressants) that make your skin more sensitive to the sun increase the risk of skin cancer. Also, medical conditions or medicines that suppress the immune system increase the risk of skin cancer.

6-       More than 50 common moles: Usually, a common mole is smaller than a pea, has an even color (pink, tan, or brown), and is round or oval with a smooth surface. Having many common moles increases the risk of developing  skin cancer.

Now comes the most important part i.e. what should we do?

1-       We should try to cover our body with clothes as much as possible. Using long sleeves and darker color fabrics are a good idea.

2-       Try to stay in shade especially during 10 AM to 4 PM.

3-       Use big sunglasses which shield not only the eyes but the surrounding area also.

4-       Use a quality sunscreen every single time we go out in sun whether its summer or winter. It should be able to block UVB as well as UVA rays.

5-       New born babies should not be exposed to sunlight as it can put them in higher risk of skin cancer for all their lives.

6-       We should apply sunscreen 30 minutes before going into sun.

7-       We should apply a good quantity of sunscreen, ideally we need 1 ounce ( 2 tablespoons) of sunscreen for our whole body.  Sunscreen should be reapplied after 2-3 hours.

8-       Do not forget to apply sunscreen on lips, ears and scalp. Yes there are oil free sunscreens available for scalp but if you don’t feel like wearing them you can cover your head with a scarf or hat while you are directly exposed to sun.

9-       We should always be conscious of any changes in our skin and if anything suspicious is noticed immediately consult a doctor.

So, that’s it for today. I’ll be reviewing a sun block I have recently purchased in my next post till then bubye.

Take care people luv you J