My father was diagnosed with skin cancer when I was a little girl. I don’t recall all the details because I was maybe 10 or 11 years old, but I remember it was a scary experience. He had a malignant melanoma – a cancerous growth – on his forehead, which had to be surgically removed. He ended up cancer-free after that, but protecting my skin from the sun is a lesson that stuck with me ever since. My friends and family may make fun of my pale skin, but at least I’m doing what I can to choose skin health.
I get especially frustrated when I find my little sister tanning, as I’ve read that people who tan indoors just four times a year increase their risk of developing melanoma by 11 percent. Crazy. It makes me sooooo angry when my husband goes off to work and leaves the bottle of sunscreen I bought him sitting on the kitchen counter. As a painting contractor, he works outside for much of the day in the summer months, yet believes he doesn’t need to protect his skin because, being Bolivian, he’s “already dark.” That’s a bunch of BS, if you ask me.
The incidence of melanoma among Latinos has increased at an annual rate of 2.9% in the past 15 years, which is about the same amount as the annual increase among Caucasians. In fact, one American dies of melanoma almost every hour. It’s a scary statistic, but a highly preventable and curable disease! Visit chooseskinhealth.com to find a free skin cancer screening location near you…
It really does come down to making good choices. Are you making the right ones for you? These are a few tips to keep your skin looking healthy this summer!
- Wear sunscreen every day! And don’t just put some one in the morning and forget about it. Reply after heavy sweating, swimming, and after about 90 minutes of outdoor activity. Most people don’t apply enough. A shot glass full is just about the right amount for one whole-body application.
- Moisturize! If you go swimming a lot, all that water exposure will dry out your skin for sure, making it more susceptible to sun damage. Keep your skin healthy and hydrated and you’ll likely see less wrinkles, too.
- Follow a healthy diet! Consume as much of those bright summer fruits and veggies as you can! Your skin will love all the extra nutrients and antioxidants.
- Drink lots of water! Keeping your skin hydrated (see: moisturize, above) will keep it supple and glowing!
- Cleanse and exfoliate! Sometimes you’re tempted to go to bed without removing your makeup, but you just can’t let that slip. Exfoliating those dead skin cells away helps your skin grow back healthy.
Neutrogena’s Choose Skin Health Campaign
Neutrogena, a skincare brand I’ve used off and on since I was a teenager, is on a mission to help in the fight against skin cancer by educating and empowering the public to follow healthy sun-safe behaviors and take proper precautions against sun damage. In collaboration with the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, Neutrogena’s Choose Skin Health campaign provides the public with the opportunity to get a free skin cancer screening with a dermatologist in their town. You can find the location of a skin cancer screening near you and stop by Neutrogena’s Choose Skin Health Facebook page for more information.
Save the Date!
Join us for a Summer Fun Tips for Healthy Skin Twitter Party
Wednesday June 13th at 6pm PST
Very useful kind of tips..I really appreciate it hope you can share more..
As the dermis is the upper portion of the skin so it got damaged more than any other and your recommended instructions are absolutely perfect for protection of the it. Thanks for your cooperation for avoiding the worse condition of skin like cancer.
We are going to the beach next week and i will surely follow all your advice to have healthy skin this summer. Thanks for the tips and have a great weekend!
I really enjoyed reading your post Mariana! Very knowledgeable and useful. I hope many could read about this. Thanks for the tips and keep up the good work.
Thanks a lot for the info Mariana. Great post. I had no idea the incidence of skin cancer was rising so significantly. After reading your article i did a bit of google searching and realised that you are correct. This is actually a serious issue. I used to scoff at the idea of wearing sunscreen but i’ve now decided that i will go out and get some protection. Again thanks for the info.
My first time to see such picture of sunscreen smiley! I loved it! It is imperative to use sunscreen for protection especially nowadays sun has this intense heat unlike way back when I was a child, it isn’t this hot.