May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month, making it the perfect time to dive into sun safety! Skin cancer can affect anyone regardless of their age, background, or ethnicity, which is why we’re doing a spotlight on Skin Cancer Awareness Month! This helpful guide includes preventative tips and information on how to check your body on a regular basis, so you can enjoy the beautiful summer rays while protecting your skin. 

What Causes Skin Cancer? 

Skin cancer is caused by damage from UV radiation, causing abnormal cell growth. It often will develop from cumulative sun exposure over the course of a few years, whether it’s from excessive tanning or damage from sunburns. The three main types are basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma. Basal cell carcinoma looks like a raised, smooth, pearly bump and can appear anywhere on the body that has had sun exposure. Squamous cell carcinoma looks like red, thick patches and often occurs on areas such as the ears, face, arms, and back of the hands. Lastly, melanoma appears as dark lesions and is commonly mistaken for moles. You can use the ABCDE method of detection for melanoma, which refers to asymmetry, border, color, diameter, and evolving.

Sun Safety Tips to Protect Your Skin

These are just a few easy tips to follow that will help protect your skin while outside! One thing to note is that the peak times of sun exposure are between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. While you should always take the necessary precautions to protect your skin, it’s also important to ensure protection during the peak times of day while you’re outdoors. 

1. Always apply sunscreen with an SPF 40 or higher when you plan to be outside to protect your skin from sunburn and UVA and UVB rays. If you plan on being outside for an extended period of time, use SPF 50+ to protect your skin further. You’ll want to reapply the sunscreen every 2 hours until you’re back inside. If you go swimming, make sure to reapply sunscreen immediately after drying off. 
2. If you wear makeup, consider utilizing a sunscreen base before applying your daily makeup routine. There are also a variety of foundation and CC+ cream brands that incorporate SPF protection directly into the formula!
3. Protect your eyes and the surrounding skin by wearing sunglasses with UV protection. They’re often labeled as UV400 and can be found at all of your typical big box stores.
4. If you plan on being outside for a long duration of time, it’s best to wear dark clothing with minimal holes. For even more protection, you can invest in UPF speciality clothing that is designed to block harmful UV rays. 

Monthly Full-Body Skin Exam 

Along with taking preventative measures, it’s also important to perform monthly body checks for sun exposure! Simply take 10 minutes out of your day to find a private area in your home and examine your skin from head to toe. During this check, take note of any changes to the appearance of your skin, whether it’s a new mole or changes to an existing mole in color, size, or shape. Changes to a mole signify that it’s actually melanoma, a form of skin cancer. If you happen to spot anything abnormal, make an appointment with our team of board-certified dermatologists or PAs to let them have a closer look. Keep up with these monthly skin self-exams on a regular basis, especially if you spend a lot of time outside, to ensure the safety of your skin health! 

Skin Cancer Awareness Month is the perfect time to brush up on skin safety tips so you can stay educated and informed! If you’d like to schedule a consultation with one of our dermatologists, fill out an appointment request form online or call us at 404.256.4457.