Are you taking care of your skin? Good skin care today will insure good looking and healthy skin tomorrow. Practice good skin care and play it safe in the sun. Skin cancer is a lot more serious than most people realize.
If you’re anything like me, when the weather’s warm, you have a hard time staying inside. The past few days, I’ve felt kind of like a cat – I loved the return of sunshine so much, I just wanted to lie down in the yard and sun myself. Two of our outside cats are doing just that right now. One of the younger ones keeps wanting to play with one of the older ones, but she’s only interested in sunning. She just shot him a look that let him know that he wasn’t to disturb her sunny slumber ever again.
Since he just rolled over to face the other way, I’d say he got the message.
Since Old Man Winter has finally packed up his bags and seems to finally be leaving, I thought a sun safety article was in order to remind us all to b careful with something we’ll have for the rest of our lives – our skin. I love winter more than most people. While 9 out of 10 people are dreading a snow storm, I’m hoping for as many inches as possible. But even I was growing tired winter this year – he really overstayed his welcome this time. Now it’s time for glorious spring followed by glorious summer! All I can think about is baseball, bird watching, feeding squirrels, grilling out, planting flowers, homemade lemonade, ice cream, and more baseball.
Let the fun in the sun begin – AFTER we remind ourselves of the importance of our skin and how vital it is that we take care of it.
Facts About Skin Cancer
- Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States.
- More than one million instances of skin cancers are diagnosed each year.
- Each year there are more new cases of skin cancer than the combined incidence of cancers of the breast, prostate, lung and colon.
- One in five Americans will develop skin cancer in the course of a lifetime.
- In 2004, the total direct cost associated with the treatment for non-melanoma skin cancers was more than $1 billion.
- About 90 percent of non-melanoma skin cancers are associated with exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun.
- Up to 90 percent of the visible changes commonly attributed to aging are caused by the sun.
- The incidence of many common cancers is falling, but the incidence of melanoma continues to rise significantly, at a rate faster than that of any of the seven most common cancers.
- More than 20 Americans die each day from skin cancer, primarily melanoma. One person dies of melanoma almost every hour (every 62 minutes).
Realizing the Dangers of Skin Cancer
For some outrageous reason, I’ve noticed that the majority of people seem to think of skin cancer about the same way they think about psoriasis or eczema. “Eh, it’s just a skin condition that you put a little cream on… have it scraped off at the worst. I’ll take my chances for my golden tan.” Dumb. Then you’ll get the crowd that tells you how addictive the feeling is from baking in the sun or under the heat lamps.
Is the feeling worth dying for? One person dies of melanoma almost every hour…
Skin cancer isn’t a rash, for crying out loud. It’s cancer. C-A-N-C-E-R. And it’s one of the cancers that we can do the most to avoid. I guess that’s the good news and the bad news, all rolled into one, because can is never spelled W.I.L.L.
More Skin Cancer Facts from Skin Cancer.org
MEN / WOMEN
- The majority of people diagnosed with melanoma are white men over age 50.
- Five percent of all cancers in men are melanomas; Four percent of all cancers in women are melanomas.
- Contrary to popular belief, recent studies show that people receive a fairly consistent dose of ultraviolet radiation over their entire lifetime. Adults over age 40, especially men, have the highest annual exposure to UV.
- Between 1980 and 2004, the annual incidence of melanoma among young women increased by 50 percent, from 9.4 cases to 13.9 cases per 100,000 women.
- The number of women under age 40 diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma has more than doubled in the last 30 years; the squamous cell carcinoma rate for women has also increased significantly.
- Until age 39, women are almost twice as likely to develop melanoma as men. Starting at age 40, melanoma incidence in men exceeds incidence in women, and this trend becomes more pronounced with each decade.
- One in 39 men and one in 58 women will develop melanoma in their lifetime.
- Melanoma is one of only three cancers with an increasing mortality rate for men.
INDOOR TANNING
- Ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is a proven human carcinogen, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
- Frequent tanners using new high-pressure sunlamps may receive as much as 12 times the annual UVA dose compared to the dose they receive from sun exposure.
- Seventy one percent of tanning salon patrons are girls and women aged 16-29.
- First exposure to tanning beds in youth increases melanoma risk by 75 percent.
- People who use tanning beds are 2.5 times more likely to develop squamous cell carcinoma and 1.5 times more likely to develop basal cell carcinoma.
PEDIATRICS
- Melanoma accounts for up to three percent of all pediatric cancers.
- Between 1973 and 2001, melanoma incidence in those under 20 rose 2.9 percent.
- Melanoma is seven times more common between the ages of 10 and 20 than it is between 0 and 10 years.
- Diagnoses – and treatment – are delayed in 40 percent of childhood melanoma cases.
- Ninety percent of pediatric melanoma cases occur in girls aged 10-19.
To keep yourself and your family safe, make sure everyone understands that Skin Cancer is dangerous – even fatal. E-Mail them a link to this article – tell them you’ll buy them lunch if they’ll read it, word for word. Use my oldest cat’s name (Hannah) as a test question to make sure they did! I’m a mother, I know the secrets of staying on top of the game.
Sun Safety: Avoid Skin Cancer
- If you have things to do outside (walking, mowing, gardening), do them before 10 A.M. and after 4 P.M.
- During the hours from 10 to 4, stay in the shade as much as possible.
- Don’t burn!
- Avoid tanning booths. As the US Department of Health and Human Services states, UV radiation from either the sun or tanning machines is a proven human carcinogen (cancer-causing agent) and considerable research shows it is the chief cause of skin cancer.
- Use a sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher every day, even if you’re certain you’ll be in the shade most of the time. Reapply often.
- Cover up with clothing, including a broad-brimmed hat and UV-blocking sunglasses.
A Healthy Diet to Prevent Skin Cancer
- Get this: People who eat three servings of spinach a week decrease their risk of skin cancer by 55 percent! Popeye was onto something. Spinach contains folate, vitamins A, C, and E, lutein, and zeaxanthin – these nutrients boost your skin’s resistance to sun damage. Eat spinach in salads, pasta salads, on sandwiches, in pesto, in pasta, in Spinach and Artichoke dips, etc.
- Thanks to Lycopene, tomatoes also reduce your chances of getting skin cancer or even getting sun-burned. Pair tomatoes often with spinach for double-the-protection. Throw both into salads, sandwiches, pasta, and use them as pizza toppings.
- Black raspberries and pomegranates are also on Real Age.com‘s list of foods to eat for healthier skin.
- Saving the yummiest for last – Dark Chocolate! Dark Chocolate (one of my reasons for living) has a great reputation for many health benefits. I was overjoyed to see that it just keeps getting better. Did you know that dark chocolate boasts more cancer-fighting chemicals than green tea and red wine? That makes each bite, somehow, taste even sweeter. According to Real Age: ….in a study that thrilled chocolate lovers, women who drank a daily cup of cocoa made from 3 ounces of good dark chocolate (70% or more cacao) had thicker, moister, smoother skin that was also more resistant to sun damage . . . in just three months, thanks to chocolate’s potent flavonols.
Of course, just because you know that you can help protect your skin with a healthy diet – that isn’t an invitation to be a sun goddess or god. Experts agree, we need between 10 and 20 minutes of sunshine each day. It helps our body make Vitamin D and it boost our mood. But between 10 and 20 minutes is all we actually need. An excess is just courting danger… the kind of danger that none of us need or want.
Have fun but be smart and be safe.
Madriver says
Hundreds of thousands of people are dying needlessly every year because of advice like this. People are meant to be in the sun, that’s why it is the only natural way of producing vitamin D. This vitamin is actually a hormone that has been CLINICALLY PROVEN to reduce the incidence and mortality of breast cancer and colorectal cancer. It has also been linked to the reduction of dozens of other types of cancer including melanoma itself.
People can’t get the required amount of vitamin D from diet, it has to be from supplements and/or responsible UV exposure.
Everyone who reads this needs to google vitamin D and stop following this irresponsible advice.
World Vitamins Online says
Very good advise. Remember summer is just around the corner.
.-= World Vitamins Online´s last blog ..Discover the New Food Cure for Diabetes =-.
joi says
World, so true… and thanks!
joi says
Madriver, This advice comes from very reputable sources. It is a compilation of advice from Dr. Oz, the Skin Cancer Foundation, Prevention Magazine, and Mayo Clinic. Quite honestly, I strongly (STRONGLY!) disagree with you about googling for medical advice concerning vitamin D. Medical advice is something you should seek from doctors and experts, not just any site that’ll show up after being googled.
This is why I used REAL doctors and REAL medical advice as sources.
I also stated that some sunshine is indeed required each day – I also stated the importance of Vitamin D. Vitamin D is essential for good health. How does suggesting that one get the majority of their sunshine before 10 or after 4 imply that I don’t think people should get ANY sunshine? I probably spend more time outdoors than you do!
I’m sorry that you find the advice to be irresponsible and I’m sorry for ruffling your feathers. I wouldn’t in a million years have expected backlash or a scolding for an article that was intended to help people. The statement that “Hundreds of thousands of people are dying needlessly every year because of advice like this” was an overly dramatic, cruel, and outrageous statement.
Madriver says
“The statement that “Hundreds of thousands of people are dying needlessly every year because of advice like this” was an overly dramatic, cruel, and outrageous statement.”
You may think it’s outrageous but it’s true. Go to this site:
http://www.grassrootshealth.net
to learn the facts about vitamin D and cancer prevention.
Let me repeat, it has been CLINICALLY TESTED that vitamin D reduces breast cancer incidence and mortality by up to 77%. By advising people as you do, that they should stay out of the sun between 10 and 4 and to use sunscreen all the time you are advising them how to minimize their vitamin D levels. The existing vitamin D daily recommendations were put in place decades ago to prevent rickets. Current studies and tests indicate we should be getting 10 times that amount, that we need 4000+ IU’s per day of vitamin D. You can’t get these levels through diet.
Think about it rationally for a second. People have been living and working in the sun for millions of years, how is it that we are the only organism to not benefit from our environment? Why is it only recently that the sun is dangerous?
Read up on vitamin D and the tests that have been done. Find out how vitamin D has been associated with autism, diabetes, mental health, alzheimers, etc. Watch the Good Morning America segment where researchers talked about how vitamin D actually kills cancer tumors. Then maybe post an article on sun safety and include a section on the benefits of moderate UV exposure and not complete UV avoidance. I don’t mean to jump on your case but these articles get regurgitated every year and no one bothers to do any research into it at all. Doctors are people too, there are plenty of differing opinions.
joi says
I’m agreeing with you – I’m not arguing with you. Vitamin D is vital. Essential. Necessary.
From Mayo Clinic.com:
Vitamin D is found in many dietary sources such as fish, eggs, fortified milk, and cod liver oil. The sun also contributes significantly to the daily production of vitamin D, and as little as 10 minutes of exposure is thought to be enough to prevent deficiencies. The term “vitamin D” refers to several different forms of this vitamin. Two forms are important in humans: ergocalciferol (vitamin D2) and cholecalciferol (vitamin D3). Vitamin D2 is synthesized by plants. Vitamin D3 is synthesized by humans in the skin when it is exposed to ultraviolet-B (UVB) rays from sunlight. Foods may be fortified with vitamin D2 or D3.
The major biologic function of vitamin D is to maintain normal blood levels of calcium and phosphorus. Vitamin D aids in the absorption of calcium, helping to form and maintain strong bones. Recently, research also suggests vitamin D may provide protection from osteoporosis, hypertension (high blood pressure), cancer, and several autoimmune diseases. MAYO CLINIC (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/vitamin-d/NS_patient-vitamind).
I’m not saying to avoid the sun, but common sense says to avoid burning your skin!!! You don’t have to burn or bake to get your vitamin d from the sun.
I’m not on some seek and destroy mission. I’m not “after” anyone and have never (on any of my blogs or in any of my writings) set out to denounce or attack anyone or any organization. The facts I posted are common sense – take care of your skin, don’t burn, protect yourself from potential harm.
Sunscreens aren’t a suit of armor. They don’t keep every single ray from approaching you. And the rays before 10 am and after 4 pm are still from the sun.
I appreciate your passion and devotion. I wish more people had that sort of conviction and deep-down concern for others. The world would be a better place.
Madriver says
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6261IX20100307
“The researchers found that immune systems’ killer cells, known as T cells, rely on vitamin D to become active and remain dormant and unaware of the possibility of threat from an infection or pathogen if vitamin D is lacking in the blood.”
Along with all of the other trials and benefits of vitamin D.
Sun exposure before 10 and after 4 is inadequate to produce the correct amount of vitamin D unless you live near the equator.
I don’t know how the cancer societies regain credibility after more of these trials come out. Their advice has caused much much more harm than good and they have to know it at this point.
joi says
Madriver,
First of all, the article no where says that sun exposure before 10 and after 4 is inadequate.
The article does point out that “Most Vitamin D is made by the body as a natural by-product of the skin’s exposure to sunlight. It can also be found in fish liver oil, eggs and fatty fish such as salmon, herring and mackerel, or taken as a supplement.”
As for cancer societies “regaining credibility,” the last thing the world needs is trouble makers trying to undermine what these wonderful organizations are trying to do, which is save lives. If you want o sun your buns between the hours of 10 and 4 each and every day, that’s your choice. For those of us who choose, of our own volition, to protect our skin from premature aging and skin cancer and try to avoid it when possible (during the middle of the day), that’s our choice. Our skin.
I wish you only the best.
Madriver says
That article wasn’t about times of exposure and vitamin D production, that article was about the immune system and how important vitamin D is to maintaining it. For exposure times to maximize vitamin D production just google it, easy enough to find out. UVB is how vitamin D is created and for locations away from the equator before 10 and after 4 most UVB is reflected away.
The cancer societies are causing much more harm by keeping people out of the sun than they are by trying to protect people from the sun. I understand the motivation but in light of recent research and trials I am amazed at the stubborn insistence on sticking with outdated recommendations.
For reference, to get the suggested 5000 IU’s of vitamin D per day to maintain 40ng – 60ng in the blood you would need to eat 4 herrings, 10 salmons, 200 eggs, 50 glasses of milk or……. 10-15 minutes of midday sun. People have evolved and worked in the sun for thousands upon thousands of years, I will personally go with common sense and moderation.
Madriver says
It’s funny actually, the research is getting so prolific that it is almost cosmetic to stay out of the sun, instead of cosmetic to get a tan. 😛
Glenn Fernandes says
Skin cancer is very harmful. The main reason being continuous exposure to the sun. There are sun burns caused due to regular exposure of UV rays. There are different types of skin cancer named basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma.
Carol says
Thank you fro your article, you have pointed out so many things that i do wrong. i do do some of them of course.
love the dark chocolate well chocolate of any kind really, i always eat fruit the reds are the best. the sun times i was unsure of, i have always been told not to sit out in it between 11 and 2. i live in a hot country, i think your times are better for me! we have to look after ourselves great
.-= Carol´s last blog ..Our consciousness is shifting =-.
joi says
I know I need to pay more attention to my skin during the summer months – but I get so busy birdwatching, gardening, walking, and playing with my outside cats that I just take off out the back door like a 7 year old eager to play in the yard! Maybe I should keep a bottle of sunscreen near the backdoor – MAYBE then this grown up kid would remember!
I just read a couple of great articles on Real Age.com about sun care and foods. Below are the links:
http://www.realage.com/tips/try-this-cheap-and-tasty-wrinkle-fighter?eid=7034&memberid=25875236
http://www.realage.com/blogs/food-bites/5-scrumptious-skin-savers?click=p3link1
Thanks for leaving your thoughts and I’m all about chocolate, myself! – Joi
bubu says
http://healtcarebeauty.blogspot.com/2010/11/how-to-take-care-of-your-skin.html
if you have time you can check this out!! it’s interesting too!
Curaderm BEC5 says
Hi, I came across this post while researching about BCCs and I found this information very useful.
I just wanted to mention that I think your readers might be interested to learn about Curaderm which is a topical cream that kills cancerous cells, and is used to treat non-melanoma skin cancers
Anyhow, I could go on about it all day but I don’t want to clutter your blog so they can learn about it here Curaderm BEC5
Angel Collins says
Many people said that sun or too much expose in the sun could cause skin cancer that’s why ever since I knew that, I tried to stay away from the sun as much as possible. Nice post!
henry says
you have the complete package of skin cancer awareness and prevention. good article.