What Can You Do to Protect Yourself from Skin Cancer?
Skin cancer is a common type of skin cancer, mostly affecting those who have a family history of skin cancer, excessive sun exposure or tanning beds. Protecting yourself from skin cancer is essential, and early intervention by experts will be beneficial.
Sun exposure is a major factor in skin cancer; therefore, it is essential to be more protective when stepping out in the sun, especially during peak sun hours.
How to Protect Yourself from Skin Cancer?
Skin cancer’s main reasons are excessive exposure to UV rays coming from the sun, tanning beds and sunlamps. Also, certain skin types might be at a higher risk of developing skin cancer. UV rays are responsible for damaging skin cells and causing ageing, dark spots and wrinkles, including skin cancer. Here is how you can protect yourself:
- Practising Sun Safety
Protection from UV rays is a thing to practice entire year, not just during the time of summer. Even on cloudy days and in winter, UV rays can still harm your skin. Wearing sunscreen with a high SPF, or above 30 SPF, is necessary to protect yourself from the sun.
See when the UV rays are strongest, like between 10 am to 4 pm, wear protective gear like sunglasses, full sleeve clothing and a wide-brimmed hat to cover yourself.
Check the UV index in your area; it will show the strength of UV rays each day. If the index is 3 to higher, protect your skin from too much exposure.
- Avoiding Indoor Tanning
Indoor tanning, including tanning beds, booths, sunbeds or sunlamps, can be riskier. Excessive exposure to these things can cause harm and increase the risk of skin cancer. You need to be smart and avoid as much as you can. Gradually, too much exposure to the UV rays can lead to skin cancer, cataracts and cancers of the eye. Before this happens, you need to protect your skin.
Indoor tanning can also lead to the risk of skin cancer, and the higher risk of one of the most serious types, melanoma, will be faced. If treated early, it can be treated, and survival rates will eventually increase. Tanning beds emit UVA and UVB rays, both are harmful and cause premature ageing, sunburn and mutations in skin cell DNA.
Why Early Skin Checkups Are Good?
One of the important things you can do to protect yourself from skin cancer is early skin checkup. Why? Because experts can detect symptoms and signs early, start diagnoses and treatment. Here are more reasons:
- Early skin screenings can reduce the chances of getting skin cancer. It ensures your skin is not damaged by sun exposure, and if it has some signs and symptoms, the skin checkups will catch them.
- Dermatologists can identify suspicious moles or lesions that may go unnoticed on skin examinations at home. They may perform a thorough examination, and professionals who are trained to recognise subtle changes in the skin can catch it early.
- Beyond skin cancer, dermatologists can identify and treat a variety of other skin issues during screenings. Conditions such as psoriasis, eczema, and rosacea often worsen if left untreated. Regular check-ups enable early diagnosis, making treatments more effective and less invasive.
- Skin cancer clinic near me will provide you with personalised advice for your unique skin needs and considering genetics, lifestyle and environmental exposure, you will get the right and best treatment.
- For individuals with a family history of skin cancer or overexposure to the sun need early attention from the experts is needed because they are at a higher risk of developing skin cancer.
Now, if you are visiting for your first skin checkup, then here is something you need to know.
First Skin Checkup: What to Expect?
A first skin checkup, often a skin cancer screening, involves a comprehensive examination of your skin from head to toe by a dermatologist. A dermatologist will assess your skin for moles, rashes, and other abnormalities, including those in less visible areas like the scalp, behind the ears, and between the toes.
You’ll be asked about your medical history, any skin concerns, and potential risk factors. The exam may include the use of a magnifying glass and, if necessary, a biopsy of any concerning spots. After the exam, the dermatologist will discuss the findings with you, recommend any necessary follow-up, and provide advice on skin care and sun protection.
Do not worry or hesitate about the first skin checkup. Also, if you have some previous skin changes or suspicious growth, you can note them and ask your specialist on your next visit.
