4 Tips to Protect Your Skin
December 31, 2019
Each of us has a lot of skin. After all, it is the largest organ of the human body. Knowing this, it shouldn’t be a surprise that skin cancer is the most common form of cancer. 1 in 5 Americans are diagnosed at some point in their lives. It sounds scary but by taking the proper steps, you can minimize the chances of getting it. Here are 4 ways to help keep skin cancer at bay.
Wear sunscreen EVERY DAY A cloudy day is no excuse to forego the good stuff. No matter what, if you’re spending a decent amount of time outside, you need to lay it on, no excuses. If you’re spending a lot of time swimming at one of Tampa Bay’s great beaches, you’ll need to reapply your sunscreen every 20 to 30 minutes.
Get an annual checkup While we strongly advise doing a visual check on yourself, nothing beats a full professional check-up. Skin cancer can be difficult to identify to someone who doesn’t work with it all the time. Many signs of skin cancer can be mistaken for moles or otherwise benign skin elements.
Cut out the tanning sessions Whether you prefer to lay out on Clearwater beach or have a favorite tanning booth, we recommend avoiding this kind of behavior. Even if you heavily applied sunscreen, sunbathing can lead to UV damage to skin cells which changes the DNA. Crazy, right?
Wear protective clothes As Florida residents, we get it. It’s just so natural to wear as little as possible in the blistering heat. If it can be helped, it’s best to wear some sort of protection past sunscreen. If you’re really embracing the preventative measures, you can look into clothing that’s marketed as UPF (ultraviolet protection factor), which are clothes designed to be cool and comfortable while also stopping UV rays in their tracks. Also, find a pair of sunglasses that you absolutely LOVE so that you always have them handy.
Have any questions or tips you’d like to share? Follow us on Facebook or Instagram, or tweet to us on Twitter. To schedule an appointment at our office, visit www.360dermatologytampa.com or call (813) 406-4835.
