#SkinCancerAwarenessMonth seems like a good time to say that the reason I didn't use self-tanner is because tanning is a beauty standard that should be relegated to the dustbin of history along with lead-based makeup, and fake tan perpetuates that standard.
#SkinCancerIsPersonal #SkinCancerIsSerious
TL;DR: Wear sunscreen and put it on your kids, cover up for more sun protection, and see a dermatologist for regular skin cancer screenings.
Don't let being scared of what you might find keep you from getting checked, because early detection saves lives.
#SkinCancerIsPersonal #SkinCancerIsSerious
For more on sunscreen, follow @labmuffin.com's YouTube channel. Her sunscreen review videos are how I found a chemical sunscreen that doesn't make my eyes sting, and they're super informative on the science.
#SkinCancerIsPersonal #SkinCancerIsSerious
Either commercially produced zinc oxide or chemical sunscreens are fine. Homemade zinc oxide sunscreen is not. Sunscreen does not cause coral bleaching, high water temperatures do--the study that claimed bleached coral hasn't been repeatable.
#SkinCancerIsPersonal #SkinCancerIsSerious
Regular cancer screenings on the schedule suggested by your doctor are important, and best treatment is prevention. Wear sunscreen, put sunscreen on your kids, and cover up when you're in the sun. The best sunscreen you can buy is the sunscreen you'll use.
#SkinCancerIsPersonal #SkinCancerIsSerious
I have a scar on my bicep that's barely even noticeable two years on, and while getting a chunk of skin sliced off isn't exactly pleasant, it's a whole heck of a lot better and cheaper than lymph node surgery and immunotherapy if it's caught late.
#SkinCancerIsPersonal #SkinCancerIsSerious
This is why I can get obnoxious about encouraging everyone to see a dermatologist and establish a baseline for screenings, because what other potentially deadly cancer can, for all intents and purposes, be cured for only a copay if caught early?
#SkinCancerIsPersonal #SkinCancerIsSerious
All of which is to say that for me, for most of my life it's been more a question of when I'd end up with melanoma, not if I would. After years of dermatologist visits that included at least one biopsy, two years ago Feb, a biopsy came back as melanoma.
#SkinCancerIsPersonal #SkinCancerIsSerious
That's especially true because another thing that increases your skin cancer risk factor is parents having a skin cancer history, and while my mom apparently has lucky genetics despite living in Florida since 1960, my dad has had both basal and melanoma.
#SkinCancerIsPersonal #SkinCancerIsSerious
The problem is that just a few bad sunburns as a kid dramatically increase your melanoma risk, and since church camp as a kid didn't make us reapply sunscreen and I ended up with blisters from swimming for hours, the path was pretty much set.
#SkinCancerIsPersonal #SkinCancerIsSerious
That mole I had removed as a teenager turned out to be benign, but it made it clear that my moles were a ticking clock and it was likely just a matter of time before one turned cancerous, so I've tried to be careful about sun exposure and regular screenings
#SkinCancerIsPersonal #SkinCancerIsSerious
I've got a ton of weird moles, so I've been seeing a dermatologist since I was a teenager, when I had a mole suspect enough that the dermatologist decided to go ahead and remove it instead of waiting around and doing a biopsy first.
#SkinCancerIsPersonal #SkinCancerIsSerious
It's #SkinCancerAwarenessMonth, so I should probably post.
My melanoma story is super boring, which is a testament to why regular skin checks with a dermatologist are so important. Early detection means a dermatologist copay, late stage melanoma can kill.
#SkinCancerIsPersonal #SkinCancerIsSerious
