While most of my writing centers around fitness, there are obviously other aspects of our health that we need to be aware of and I was all too quickly was reminded of that this week. Over the last few months I’ve had to have a few funky looking moles removed, and in that time, one area in particular has been a focus.
I’ll spare you the gory details but it made me realize that number one…I’m an idiot for not having worn more sunscreen (especially when I lifeguarded as a teenager), and two… we really need to make sure that skin care is a part of our prevention. The first line of defense is really making sure we wear sunscreen (SPF 30) when we plan to be out in the sun for more than 20-30 minutes, and then remember to reapply throughout the day.
I can’t help but think about that damn sunscreen song from the nineties (was that really 15 years ago?!), if only I’d taken his advice.
Now I know you may be saying “But I need the sun to get my vitamin D”, and that’s true but at the very least don’t let your skin burn when you’re out. And us guys are apparently more susceptible to skin cancers, especially if you shave your face every day (I think the Duck Dynasty guys are in the clear here). Each morning when you drag that razor across your face you are scraping away that top layer of skin only to expose that fresh new skin, then out the door and into the sun you go.
Combine that with the fact that guys are terrible about putting on sunscreen and like many things over time that could be a nasty combination. Trying to be mindful of the environmental toxins and not just wanting to smear any old sunscreen on, our family uses what’s called a physical sunscreen. A physical sunscreen is one that sits on top of the skin and blocks the harmful rays (think zinc oxide), as opposed to the chemical kind. You can also avoid some of the harmful rays by being mindful of the time of day you’re outside, 10am-4pm is when the sun’s rays are most intense. These days there is also a lot of clothing that has some sun protection built in, which for the ladies, may be just another reason to go shopping.
However, I’m certain the benefit gained from using sunscreen to prevent those bad burns is far more important than which kind you decide to use. If you want to check out how healthy your sunscreen is then check out this website – http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ – type in the sunscreen that you use and it will tell you how harmful the ingredients are for your health. The database also has tons of sunscreens that are healthy for your skin.
Along with some of those obvious tips, one of the things that never really crossed my mind was going to see a dermatologist for an annual skin check. It wasn’t until about a year or so ago that I started doing this and it’s been very helpful. If you are someone like me who has more susceptible skin then your dermatologist can monitor and take pictures of areas that need to be watched each year.
Then every year you go back, your doc can re-evaluate those areas and look for any changes which could signify a precursor to cancer. Like many diseases, skin cancers are largely preventable so adding just a few of these tips can have a large impact on your overall health. Now put on that sunscreen and get outside!