Be Sun-Safe! Melanoma Awareness Month
Blog - May 2021
Be Sun-Safe! - Melanoma Awareness Month
May is Melanoma Awareness Month, so this month’s blog is devoted to helping you learn more about the importance of protecting your skin from the harmful effects of UV rays from the Sun. Melanoma is the most dangerous type of skin cancer, and it can be deadly! Melanoma is entirely preventable, so please spread some awareness to your family and friends, and in doing so you may even save a life!
A Real Life Story
A few years ago I was able to attend a class called “The Skinny on Skin” at a skin care conference in California. The class was put on by Impact Melanoma, a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing skin cancer awareness, early detection and supporting patients world-wide. The speaker at my class (I’ll call her Kate) shared her own story, which I found compelling. Kate was a 12-year melanoma survivor, and she was only 32 years old! Kate had found a new dark mole on her stomach at age 19 (after about 2 years of using a tanning bed regularly), so she scheduled an appointment to see her doctor. Her doctor thought the mole was nothing, but Kate insisted on being referred to a dermatologist to check it out. It was her dermatologist who diagnosed Kate with stage 3 melanoma cancer! Thankfully, Kate has fully recovered, but it was a long and painful journey!
I learned some helpful information about melanoma at the Skinny on Skin class, which I regularly share with my facial clients to help increase awareness, especially about melanoma, as well as the importance of protecting the skin to help prevent skin cancer.
Sunscreen Reminders for Daily Use
Most of us are more than ready to get outdoors and enjoy some of our favorite activities as the weather gets warmer and we enjoy more hours of daylight. So how do you really protect your skin? Follow these helpful tips:
Apply Broad-Spectrum Sunscreen SPF-15 or higher generously 30 minutes before going outdoors. Broad-spectrum sunscreens help protect against UVA and UVB (damaging and burning) rays from the sun. Remember to apply sunscreen to all exposed parts of the body.
Apply Sunscreen Correctly. Sunscreen needs to be applied correctly in order for you to receive the full benefits of the SPF. For your face and neck area, use the 2-finger method for measuring your sunscreen. Apply a straight line of sunscreen on both your index and middle fingers, or about half an inch (1/2”), then apply to your face and neck.
Reapply your Sunscreen. You need to reapply your sunscreen every 2 hours or after getting out of water, sweating or toweling off. Here’s a tip for applying sunscreen over makeup: Use a dry sponge to dab sunscreen on and blend it all over the face, or just re-apply your makeup with broad-spectrum SPF.
Wear a hat and sunglasses to help protect your skin and your eyes from damaging UV rays. Besides protecting your eyes from sun damage, sunglasses will also help keep you from squinting, which will have the added benefit of preventing fine lines around the eyes!
Seek Shade, especially when outdoors during peak hours (typically 11AM - 3PM), and wear UPF clothing to give you extra protection, especially when spending extended time outdoors.
Charisma Skin’s Broad-Spectrum Protection SPF daily moisturizers are a good source of moisture and protection for your skin, and our Mineral Liquid-Powder Foundation SPF-15, Mineral Sheer-Tint SPF-20, our BB Creme SPF-30 and Loose Mineral Powder Foundation all contain mineral-based (physical barrier) broad-spectrum SPF.
More on Melanoma
We've learned that Melanoma is the most serious type of skin cancer and it can be fatal. “However, when melanomas are detected soon after they begin, the chances that the cancerous cells can be removed completely before metastasizing are very high. This means that a melanoma that is diagnosed in its early stages has a high chance of being completely cured”, according to Impact Melanoma.
Here is the link for more information on melanoma from the Impact Melanoma website:https://impactmelanoma.org.
Have you or has someone you know had a baby recently? Check out this link to “No Sun for Babies” a new program by Impact Melanoma for some helpful tips: https://impactmelanoma.org/no-sun-for-babies. There are also helpful resources on the Image Melanoma website for the education of children, as well. This could be a great idea for your child or grandchild’s school, or for parents are they are teaching their children at home.
Please feel free to share this blog with family and friends to help increase awareness of melanoma and tips for how to be sun-safe!